Kingdom Hearts: Kung Fu Light Defenders
by J. Tom
Summary: Sora, Donald, and Goofy find themselves in the Valley of Peace, and must learn new fighting skills and fight alongside the Dragon Warrior, the Furious Five, and an unlikely acquaintance-turned-friend when Organization XIII is plotting something big for this new world... and some of its residents. Takes place during Kingdom Hearts II.
1. Chapter 1: Enter the Valley of Peace

**Kingdom Hearts: Kung Fu Light Defenders**

 _ **A crossover story with Kingdom Hearts and Kung Fu Panda. Takes place during Kingdom hearts II, before Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrive back in Twilight Town.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

Chapter 1: Enter the Valley of Piece

In the Gummi Ship, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were flying around the worlds once again, looking for any signs of Organization XIII, Riku, Kairi, and King Mickey. They had revisited several worlds after leaving Radient Garden and had learned about the Organization's plans from Axel _(where he was, who knows)_ , and who their leader was. They had already killed Demyx at said place, and then Xaldin at Beast's Castle. Now they weren't sure where to go.

"Let's see, we visited every world we visited after sleeping for a year except Disney Castle and Atlantica, cause they're still ok. So where should we go now?" asked Sora.

"Dunno." replied Donald as he steered the ship. "Where else would Riku, Kairi, and the king be?"

"Maybe we should try Twilight Town." suggested Goofy.

"Why do you say that?" asked Donald.

"That's the only world we haven't visited twice since we woke up. Plus, that was a clue from the photo we got from possibly Riku." answered the king's captain.

"Seems like a good idea." agreed Sora.

Donald shrugged, but just before he could plot a course to Twilight Town, the communications screen started to act up. The three looked at it in confusion before Donald flipped the switch to answer it. Cid appeared on the screen.

" _Well if it isn't the traveling trio."_ he teased.

"A-hyuck! Hiya Cid!" greeted Goofy.

" _Where are you guys currently right now?"_ asked Cid.

"Going to Twilight Town to find our friends, why?" answered and asked Sora.

" _Well, I was trying to work on my computer as usual, when it detected a new world covered in darkness. Leon and Aerith suggested that you lot go check it out."_ said Cid.

"A new world in trouble?" asked Goofy, worried.

"We'd better check it out. Plus, maybe Kairi, Riku, and the king are there." said Sora.

"Alright then, we'll do it Cid." said Donald.

" _Great. I'll send you the coordinates."_ said Cid before smirking. _"And try not to get swallowed by a whale again."_ he added, teasingly.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at him with unamused looks as Cid exited the video-chat and about 12 seconds later, the coordinates came in. Donald entered them into the Gummi Ship, and steered the vessel towards the new world.

It was a long time, but soon the three could see a new world. It looked like it had a Chinese-themed building on top with a small village on the bottom.

"Whoa! Look at that!" exclaimed Sora in awe.

Donald and Goofy were in awe as well the the former parked the ship, and the three were soon beamed down.

* * *

Three beams came down from the morning sky as Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked all around heir new surroundings. It looked to be like they were in a village full of homes and shops.

"Are we back in Mulan's world?" asked Sora.

"I don't think so." said Goofy.

"Must be another place in China or something." shrugged Donald.

The three waled around, and to their surprise, the residents all looked like geese, bunnies, pigs, etc. Some took notice of them, especially Sora since he was human, but that didn't last very long as they would then continue on with their day.

About three minutes later, Goofy looked up towards a tall mountain, and saw the Chinese building standing tall above the town, hovering over a bunch of stairs.

"Gawrsh, I wonder what that place is." said Goofy.

"It almost looks like the Emperor of China's palace." said Sora. "Are you guys sure were not in the Land of the Dragons?" he asked his two animal friends.

"Positive." answered Donald before muttering, "Though I wonder if Cid messed something up."

Suddenly, the three heard a scream. They sharply turned to see a goose in a red and gold peasant attire with what looked like a noodle hat on his head, carrying a crate of vegetables, and running from Heartless.

"Get away from me! Help!" screamed the goose.

"Hold on sir!" called Sora, as he summoned Kingdom Key, Donald, brought out his staff, and Goofy brought out his shield.

They ran in between the goose and Heartless before slashing them left, right, and center.

Once the Heartless were all vanquished, they turned towards the bird.

"You all right?" asked Sora, concerned for the innocent goose.

"Yes, I am know, oh thank you so much!" thanked the bird, shaking Sora, then Donald, and then Goofy's hands. "Who might you be, I've never seen you around here before?" he asked.

"We're from out of town." Sora half-lied. "I'm Sora."

"Donald Duck." said Donald, jerking a thumb towards himself.

"Name's Goofy." finished Goofy.

"My name is Tsu Ping, but others call me Mr. Ping. I run the best noodle shop in the valley." said Mr. Ping.

"Valley?" asked Goofy.

"Yes. You really are from out of town." answered and murmured Mr Ping. "This place is called the Valley of Peace." he added.

"Oh. I see." nodded Sora.

"Say, since you saved me, how about we walk about to my noodle shop and I make something for you three. My son should be up by now and we can make you a free order. Whaddya say?" he offered.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy's stomachs then rumbled, making them blush in embarrassment. Mr. Ping chuckled.

"I'll take that as a yes." he murmured before picking up his vegetable crate and gestured them to follow him. Sora, Donald, and Goofy then followed, excited to try some free food.

* * *

Meanwhile in Radient Garden, more specifically outside Merlin's home, a Corridor of Darkness opened to reveal a familiar tall man with spiky red hair, small purple tear-drop tattoos under his eyes, and in an Organization XIII cloak.

"Radient Garden. Man it's been too long." murmured Axel, walking around a little. "Don't know how long I can hide out here until the others come to get my head." he added sourly.

It had been about over a week since Axel had last encountered Sora, Donald, and Goofy, told them about Xemnas' true intentions, and nearly told them about Kairi before Saïx found him, making him escape. Kairi _(and Pluto)_ had long since got away from him about two days after he kidnapped her from Twilight Town, and escaped from the Organization's castle, possibly thanks to Riku, as it was a person in the same cloak as Axel helped her escape, before going to try and help Sora on his second world revisiting journey.

He sighed as he sat down on a bench. "What I wouldn't give to be with Roxas, sit down on top of the clocktower in Twilight Town, and eat that delicious sea salt ice cream again." Axel murmured with a small smile. He would've bought some of that ice cream from one of the shops, but those were run by Donald's uncle Scrooge, and his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and if they saw him, he'd have to get out of there before the Restoration Committee found him, or if they contacted Donald, Sora, and Goofy.

Or both.

Axel sighed as he got up and was about to go inside Merlin's house to ask if he could spend the night before going out again on his own should the likes of Xemnas, Xigbar, Saïx, or Luxord find and kill him.

But as he arrived to the front door, he peered in through the window to see if anyone was home before knocking.

To his dismay, inside was the Restoration Committee. Cid was on his computer, Merlin was reading Winnie the Pooh's book, Leon was chatting with Cloud, Aerith and Yuffie were sitting down at a table, also chatting, Tifa was writing in a notebook, and the gullwings, Paine, Rikku, and Yuna were looking over things on the chalkboard.

"Ah crud." groaned Axel. "Better get out of here before they see me." He stepped away from the house to think. "But where to? Where is the last place the Organization would check for me?" he wondered out loud before he had an idea. "Ahh... That's it." he muttered before disappearing.

Just then, Cid opened the door to see no one at the entrance.

"Heh. No one's here ya old loon!" he called back inside. "Must've been hearing things again." _Or there's pranksters on the loose._ He thought to himself.

* * *

Back in the Valley of Peace, Sora, Donald, and Goofy sat at the counter of Mr. Ping's home/restaurant. Mr. Ping brought them three bowls of noodle soup. They each took a taste, and smiles brightened up their faces.

"Wow! This is good!" exclaimed Sora.

"Delicious!" added Donald.

"Gawrsh, I've never tasted anything like this!" added Goofy.

"Glad you like it." smiled Mr. Ping as he picked up some stuff. He looked upstairs and shouted, "Po! Get up!"

"So Po's your son?" asked Donald.

"Yes. Do any of you have kids?" asked Mr. Ping.

"I'm only a teen." said Sora.

"I have a son back home named Max." said Goofy.

Sora looked at the dog in surprise. "You never told me you had a son!"

"I didn't? Huh, must've slipped my mind." murmured Goofy.

"I don't have kids, but I have three nephews named Huey, Dewey, and Louie, who I guess you can say are like my sons since I'm their legal guardian after my sister Della... disappeared." added Donald before his voice slowly trailed off.

Before Sora could ask about what happened to Della, they heard Mr. ping shout, "Po! Let's go! You're late for work!"

" _Coming!"_ called a voice.

Four seconds later, coming downstairs, to Sora, Donald, and Goofy's surprise was... a large panda in pants, skidding down the stairs to a stop.

 _That's Po?_ They thought to themselves, sharing glances since they were thinking the same thing, but decided not to say anything in case they'd offend or hurt Po and/or Mr. Ping.

"Sorry dad." apologized Po from the ground.

"Sorry doesn't make the noodles." scolded Mr. Ping. "Also, we have guests." he added.

Po gasped in excitement. "Is it the Furious Five?" he asked giddily.

Mr. Ping chuckled while the traveling trio shared glances.

"No, these three right here; Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They saved me from some weird black creatures that appeared out of nowhere." answered Mr. Ping.

Instead of being disappointed by not meeting the so-called "Furious Five," Po instead exclaimed, "Whoa! You saved my dad?!"

"It was no trouble at all. It's what we do." replied Sora before extending his hand. "So your Po right?"

"Yeah, that's me." he replied, shaking Sora's hand.

"I'm Sora. To my left's Donald Duck, and to my right is Goofy." said Sora, gesturing to his friends.

"Hi!" greeted Donald.

"Hiya!" greeted Goofy.

"Nice to meet you." said Po.

"Po, I need your help around here." called Mr. Ping, carrying a knife and some vegetables.

"OH, uh, sure thing dad." replied Po as he got to work helping his father.

"So what were you doing up there, all that noise we heard when I was cooking for our guests?" asked Mr. Ping, chopping some asparagus.

Po suddenly became nervous. Sora seemed to sense it.

"Oh, uh, nothing." he replied solemnly. "Just, uh, had a crazy dream."

"What were you dreaming about?" Mr. Ping asked, curiously.

"Being rich like my uncle?" guessed Donald.

Po and Mr. Ping looked at the mage in confusion while Sora and Goofy softly snickered.

"What?" asked Donald. "My Uncle Scrooge is the richest duck from where I come from." he replied.

Po and Mr. Ping nodded in understanding before the former said to the latter, who was chopping veggies once again, "I was dreaming about uh... noodles." he answered quietly, and a bit uneasily.

Mr. Ping chopped a vegetable in half before muttering blandly, "Noodles... you were really dreaming about noodles?..."

"Uh, yeah sure." replied Po, acting as if it was no big deal.

Suddenly, Mr. Ping began to feel excited. "Oh happy day! My son finally having the noodle dream!"

"'Noodle dream?'" Sora whispered to Donald and Goofy, who merely shrugged.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment!" cried Mr. Ping happily as he put a noodle apron around Po's waist. "This is a sign Po!"

"Uh... a sign of what?" asked the panda.

"You are almost ready to be entrusted with the secret ingredient of my 'Secret Ingredient Soup'. And then you will fulfill your destiny and take over the restaurant!" explained Mr. Ping before quickly running over to a section of wall with three portraits and pointed at them accordingly while saying to the four, "Just as I took it over from my father, who took it over from his father, who won it from a friend in a game of _mahjong_."

Sora just stared incredulously, while Donald and Goofy shared a glance.

"Dad, dad, dad, it was just a dream." said Po, chuckling nervously.

"No, it was _the_ dream. We are noodle folk. Broth runs through our veins." said Mr. Ping.

"But Dad, didn't you ever, I dunno, want to do something else? Something besides noodles?" asked Po.

"Yeah, like something you've always desired?" Sora chimed in.

"Actually, when I was young and crazy, I thought about running away and learning how to make tofu." admitted Mr. Ping.

"So why didn't you?!" asked Po, surprised.

"Oh, because it was a stupid dream." replied Mr. Ping, simply, while chopping some more vegetables. "Can you imagine _me_ making tofu?" he asked them before laughing at the thought, before throwing his knife on the cutting board. "No. We all have our place in this world. Mine's here, _(to Po)_ and yours is at tables 2, 5, 7, 12, and 15 when customers start pouring in." he then put a similar noodle hat on Po's head before adding as he went upstairs, "Service with a smile!"

Po smiled until his dad was out of sight. Once he was, he let the smile disappear before he began to make some more noodle bowls.

"So, uh... were you really dreaming about noodles?" asked Sora.

"Uh... yeah... sure..." answered Po, uneasily.

Sora shook his head. "Po, I can tell you were lying because you couldn't bare to tell your dad the truth. We understand."

Po looked at the three, the two anthropomorphic animals nodding in agreement with Sora's statement.

"So what were you _really_ dreaming about?" asked Donald.

Po sighed before saying with a longing look, "I was dreaming about... kung fu."

This made Sora, Donald, and Goofy look at him in surprise. "Kung fu? Really?" asked Sora.

"Yeah. If you do recall me saying, I was hoping our guests were the Furious Five." he explained as he thought of something. "Ooh! Wait here!"

He then carefully ran up the stairs before coming down with five action figures of what appeared to be animals.

One was a female tiger, wearing a traditional red Chinese vest with golden vine patterns and black trim, held together with small metal fasteners and a waist wrap. She also wears black silk pants and black sandals with soles designed to resemble paw pads.

Another was a green viper snake with two pink lotus flowers near her blue eyes, with Chinese writing on her body.

Another was a blue and white crane, wearing a popular conical Asian hat known as a rice hat, loose blue pants with a purple sash wrapped around his waist in the style of a Shaolin wrap, rings around his ankles and toes: Five ankle rings on each of his legs, and a single toe ring on each of his toes.

Another one was a green mantis, who's action figure seemed to be the same size as an actual one.

And finally, the last one was a monkey wearing studded leather wristbands, loose brown sweatpants with the waist and ankles wrapped in the style of a Shaolin leg wrap, and his waist sash was colored gold.

"Cool action figures Po." complimented Goofy.

"These aren't just action figures Goofy, these are the Furious Five; Masters Tigress, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey. Masters of kung fu." explained Po, almost ominously.

"Really?! Cool!" exclaimed Sora.

"I know! All trained under a red panda named Master Shifu, who was trained under a wise old turtle named Grand Master Oogway." All who reside up there, in the Jade Palace." explained Po, pointing towards the Chinese-themed building.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked up to it in awe.

"Wow!" they said, simultaneously.

"I know! My dream is to one day become a kung fu master like them." Po further explained before his excited expression fell. "But how can a simple noodle-folk person, who is a big, fat, chubby, clumsy panda like me be a kung fu master, especially since his father expects him to be running hi shop someday?" he asked sadly.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at him with sorry expressions.

"Po, if there was anything I've ever learned in my life, it's that you should never give up on your dreams." said Sora.

"Who knows? Maybe you will be a kung fu master if you put your mind to it." encouraged Donald.

"Just don't stop believing." encouraged Goofy.

Po smiled "Thanks guys."

The trio then began to finish up their noodles.

"And by the way, this is truly amazing." added Goofy.

"I've never tasted noodles this good in my life!" agreed Sora.

"You said it! These really know how to satisfy your hunger." agreed Donald, gulping down the rest of his noodles. Donald wiped his beak with his sleeve before letting out a burp. He covered his beak with his feathered hand, and blushed in embarrassment. "Excuse me." he said sheepishly.

Sora, Goofy, and Po laughed at that, and Donald joined in.

As the four chatted away after that, none noticed a person in a black cloak, similar to the one members of Organization XIII wore, watching them from a hill with his hood up, covering his face. It was-you guessed it-Riku, watching over Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Enjoy your time here now guys, but after Master Oogway's vision, you're gonna need to give it your all." said Riku.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _ **Hope you've enjoyed it! And just to let you know, the story that supposed to come after**_ **Kingdom Hearts: The Lion Guard** ** _that was supposed to have our six main characters go back to Beast's Castle during "Enchanted Christmas" has been delayed, cause I havent seen the movie, do to a lot of stuff getting in the way. But I promise I'll write it soon. Anyways, don't forget to review!_**


	2. Chapter 2: Getting to the Tournament

Chapter 2: Getting to the Tournament

Since there wasn't any trouble at the moment, and that many customers were coming in, Mr. Ping asked Sora, Donald, and Goofy if they could help him and Po around the restaurant. They happily obliged since the two seemed like nice guys. While Po and Donald handed out deliveries, Sora and Goofy took orders.

"Ok, so that's two number 7's and two number 5's, coming right up!" said Sora to a family of rabbits.

"A bowl of bean buns, and number 3, got it!" said Goofy to a big farmer.

Po and Donald came up to the two a few minutes later.

"How are things going? Customer's satisfied?" asked Po.

"Everything's under control, Po." said Goofy with a smile.

"Same here." said Donald. He then turned to Po. "By the way, have you or your dad seen any of our friends around these parts?" he asked.

Po shrugged. "Dunno, what do they look like?" he asked.

"Well, one is my best friend Riku, he's a human with silver hair and greenish-teal eyes." said Sora.

"Another is a mouse named Mickey, about Donald's height, red clothed, peach and black fur with very round ears." added Goofy.

"And a red-headed girl named Kairi. Also human." concluded Donald.

Po though for a moment before he shook his head. "Sorry, guys, I haven't seen anyone like that. And to be honest, Sora's the only human I've ever met." said Po.

The three friends' faces fell in disappointment.

Then Po though of something. "But maybe my dad has." he said hopefully.

This caused a flash of hope to appear on Sora, Donald, and Goofy's faces. But before anyone of them could ask Mr. Ping if he had seen their friends, they heard the bang of a drum, and turned to see two geese in Chinese clothes put up a Chinese poster that had silhouettes of the Furious Five on it.

"What?!" exclaimed Po before he and the others ran up to it.

"What's goin' on?" asked Goofy.

Po turned to face his new friends in excitement.

"Master Oogway's choosing the Dragon Warrior! TODAY!" cried Po happily.

"Sounds... good." said Sora, a little confused, as were Donald and Goofy. Dragon Warrior?

Po then began to _(carefully)_ run around the restaurant, telling the villagers about what was going on.

"Everyone! Everyone! Go, get to the Jade Palace! One of the Five is going to get the Dragon Scroll!" he said enthusiastically.

Mr. Ping noticed this from behind the counter.

"We've been waiting a thousand years for this — just take the bowl!" he said to some more customers, urging them to take their meals with them to the palace. "This is the greatest day in kung fu history! Don't worry about it, just go!" He then turned to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "C'mon guys! Let's go!" he shouted.

Po began to run out the restaurant, and before the travelers could follow him...

"PO! Where are you going?" asked Mr. Ping.

Po stopped suddenly at the sound of his dad's voice. To his dismay, he looked back towards him as Sora and his friends watched.

"To the... Jade Palace..." he replied.

"But you're forgetting your noodle cart!"said Mr. Ping as he rolled over a heavy looking noodle cart. "The whole Valley will be there, and you'll sell noodles to all of them!" he added excitedly.

Po seemed to hesitate that idea. "Selling noodles?"

Mr. Ping nodded happily.

"But Dad, I was kinda thinking maybe I..." began Po.

"Yeah?" asked Mr. Ping, still smiling.

"I was kinda thinking maybe I..." he stuttered

"Uh-huh?"

Po hesitated some more before saying, "...could also sell the bean buns. They're-they're about to go bad."

Mr. Ping smiled happily "That's my boy! I told you that dream was a sign!" he said as he walked back into the shop.

Po looked down at his cart, disappointed. "Yeah, heh heh, glad I had it." he muttered.

Sora sighed as he strode up to the panda. "Po, you know you're gonna have to tell the truth to your dad soon." he pointed out.

"I know. I know." sighed Po. "It's just-it's just never an easy thing to do."

Sora nodded. "I guess." he then smiled. "C'mon, let's go to that tournament."

Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement. Po smiled happily, and wheeled the noodle cart out of the restaurant, with his new friends following him.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Jade Palace, thousands of villagers were gathered around the arena, ready to see who would be selected for the title of the Dragon Warrior.

On a balcony of the palace, a red panda, in a reddish-burgundy robe with a brown-colored sash, the robe having golden wave designs on the silver cuffs, as well as oval patterns on the back of the sleeves, s black pants, closed-toed sandals, traditional Shaolin leg wraps around his ankles and lower legs, and a ring-like item that holds together his small goatee, oversaw everything.

Then an old turtle wearing a green sash across his chest that wrapped around and nearly covered the back of his shell, the sash is held together by a ring, and the back bearing a large, stylized design that appeared to be a _tai chi_ diagram of fish forming the yin yangsymbol, carrying a stick-like staff walked up beside the red panda.

"It is an historic day, isn't it, Master Oogway?" asked the red panda.

"Yes, and one I feared I would not live to see." said Master Oogway. "Are your students ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Master Oogway." replied the red panda.

Just then, Riku, still in his cloak with the hood up, appeared beside them.

"Ah, Riku. Glad you could make it." smiled Oogway.

"I'd stay Master Oogway, but I need to find my friend. And I can't let the ones who are here see me like this." said Riku.

The turtle and red panda nodded. "I see. May your journey be a success." said Oogway.

"And thank you for warning us of these Heartless and Nobody creatures. We will do our best to keep an eye out for them, as well as any members of this Organization you speak of." said the red panda.

Riku nodded. "Just be careful, Masters Oogway and Shifu."

The two kung fu masters nodded as the three all bowed together, and Riku disappeared through a Corridor of Darkness.

"With that said, we must start the tournament." said Shifu.

"Yes." nodded Oogway in agreement before saying to his student, "Now know this, old friend. Whomever I choose will not only bring peace to the Valley, but also to you."

He then slowly walked towards the railing to oversee the tournament take place, leaving Shifu to ponder his words before quickly joining his master.

* * *

Meanwhile outside the palace gates, Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had finally made it up the stairs. Po had long since abandoned his cart _(as well as his apron and hat)_ so nothing would stop him from seeing the tournament.

He had also explained to them about the purpose of the Dragon Warrior was said to be a great kung fu warrior who would bring peace to the valley, during an immediate threat, and it had been a very long wait before the title was to be given to any kung fu warrior who displayed such greatness.

By the time they reached the top of the highest mountain, they panted heavily.

"Man!" wheezed Sora, catching his breath "What a climb!"

Donald collapsed on his back in agreement. "I concur!" he panted.

Po panted as he too layed on his back. "I never really liked stairs, and this just takes the biscuit..." he commented wearily.

Goofy was catching his breath as well, before noticing something: the palace gates shutting.

"Uh fellers! Gates are closing!" he shouted.

Po gasped. "Oh no! No no no, wait... I'm coming!" he shouted, making a run for the door, only to slam into them as they slammed shut. "Owwww..." he moaned as he fell to the ground.

"Ooh!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy muttered in sympathy for the panda, who quickly got up.

"Hey wait!" called Po, banging on the doors.

"Hey! Let us in ya big palookas!" shouted Donald, banging on the doors as well.

"Uh, fellers? I don't think that's gonna work." said Goofy.

"He's right, I doubt anyone can hear us over those drums." added Sora.

Po and Donald stopped banging and sighed.

"There's gotta be another way in there." said Goofy.

Then, Po noticed a circular window to the side of the gates, and ran up to it, grabbing onto the ledge. However, it was hard for him to get a firm grip, so Sora, Donald, and Goofy had to help keep him up, struggling to do so as they heard Shifu speak.

" _Citizens of the Valley of Peace! It is my great honor to present to you... Tigress! Viper! Crane! Monkey! Mantis! The Furious Five!"_

Po laughed happily as his idols landed on the arena ground. This was a dream come true, to see those whom he looked up to be only on the other side of the wall, ready to perform such legendary moves in kung fu.

"What's happening up there?" asked Sora, still struggling to keep Po steady.

"The Furious Five have arrived!" replied Po, still excited.

"Can you push him any higher?" asked Goofy.

"Can't! To heavy!" groaned Donald.

Inside the arena, Masters Tigress, Viper, Mantis, Crane, and Monkey stood to the crowd, Crane flapping his wings, sending a powerful gust of wind into the arena, which unfortunately closed the window door, knocking Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy to the ground.

"Aw phooey!" grumbled Donald.

"Ok, there's gotta be another way in." said Sora, getting off the ground.

Po then noticed a small hole in between the gates as he peered inside.

"That'll work." shrugged Goofy.

"Yeah, but now we can't see anything!" grumbled Donald.

"We could always tack ourselves on top of each other and pull each other in on the other side." suggested Goofy.

"Yeah, but that wouldn't be fair to Po, as this is his dream." Sora pointed out.

Before either Donald or goofy could reply, they heard Po exclaim, "Yeah! Woo! The Thousand Tongues of Fire!" before laughing in anticipation.

"'Thousand Tongues of Fire?'" the three travelers questioned in unison. Then, to answer their question, they saw fireworks launch into the sky, much to their surprise and amusement.

Po looked up and laughed in amazement at the sight of Master Crane, ready to fight the fireworks, only for the panda to back up too far, and tumble slightly down the stairs.

"Po!" Sora gasped as he and his friends ran towards the panda, and helped him up.

"Thanks guys." sighed Po.

Soon, Po was trying many other attempts to get into the palace, but all ended in failure.

First, he tried to punch the doors ,but only managed to crack his knuckles. "Ow..." he moaned in pain.

"Ouch." murmured Sora, Donald, and Goofy unison.

Second, Po attempted to pole-vault over the wall, but his weight bent the pole and he got flung into the wall, cracking it.

"Oof!" the three grunted in sympathy.

Third, he bent a tree to the ground and tied it with the plan to catapult himself into the arena. However, his weight kept the tree bent when he cutted the rope. As he got off, the tree sprung up, whacking his nose, then sprang back once to strike him on the head.

"OOOH!" the three cringed again, sorry for their friend.

"All of that has got to hurt." muttered Goofy in sympathy.

Later, Po was sitting on the stairs with a blank expression, apparently having given up. Sora, Donald, and Goofy just stared, as they heard Shifu's voice.

" _And finally... Master Tigress!"_

Hearing this, Po once again got up and started looking for another plan.

Po then started pulling back another, larger tree with a rope.

"Think this one will work?" asked Sora.

"Dunno." shrugged Goofy.

"Doubtful." said Donald, blandly.

" _Believe me citizens, you haven't seen_ anything _yet!"_ called Shifu's voice.

"I KNOW!" shouted Po sarcastically.

" _Master Tigress! F_ _ace Iron Ox and his_ _Blades of Death_ _!"_ shouted Shifu's voice.

Inside the arena, Tigress prepared to face her daunting opponent. Po suddenly sprang up above the arena, catapulted by the tree. Po did get a good glimpse of his apparently favorite member of the Five, but then bounced of the rooftops and crashed into a fireworks cart, just outside the arena.

"Po!" cried Sora, Donald, and Goofy again, running up to him.

"Are you ok?" asked Goofy, concerned.

"Never better..." muttered Po.

* * *

Back inside the palace, after Tigress' turn was over, Oogway suddenly closed his eyes and raised his palm, making the cheering crowd hush.

"I sense the Dragon Warrior is among us." he said.

Shifu looked at his students and nodded. Quickly, Monkey, Crane, Viper, and Mantis joined Tigress, and stood in a straight line from smallest to tallest and waited.

"Citizens of the Valley of Peace! Master Oogway will now choose the Dragon Warrior!" announced Shifu.

* * *

Outside, the four friends glanced at the palace as the announcement was made.

"Oh no, we missed the tournament!" groaned Goofy.

"Now we'll miss the Dragon Warrior choosing!" added Donald, upset.

Po was about to say something until he looked around at his surroundings, which were fireworks. This gave him an idea.

"Guys! I think I've got one last idea to get in there." he told them.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at the panda in confusion, until they saw him raise a firework as their eyes widened in shock.

* * *

Inside the palace, Master Oogway was slowly making his way down the stairs as the drummers began to drum an intense beat. The Furious Five stood respectfully waiting for the grandmaster.

* * *

Outside, Po had finished tying a bunch of fireworks to the chair. He took a step back to admire his work before getting onto the chair.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." muttered Goofy, worriedly.

"You're not the only one." whispered Sora.

Po then lit a match, and lit a bunch of fuses tied together as they slowly began to burn.

Suddenly...

"PO?!"

Sora, Po, Donald, and Goofy jumped and turned to the side to see Mr. Ping run up the stairs, holding Po's apron. He had found out about his son abandoning the cart.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he cried, before going over to his son.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy decided to stay out of this father-son, er, "moment," and quietly took two steps back.

"What does it look like I'm doing?!" asked Po.

His dad began to blow out the fuses, except one.

"No no no, stop! I'm going to see the Dragon Warrior!" said Po, trying to explain the situation to his father.

"But I don't understand! You finally had the noodle dream!" said Mr. Ping, confused.

Seeing the fuse about to go out and launch the rocket, Po looked at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who nodded.

Po sighed before confessing, "I lied! I don't dream about noodles dad!"

Mr. Ping's eyes widened as Po then shouted, thinking he was being blasted off into the sky, "I LOVE KUNG FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!..."

However, Po then opened his eyes to find out that he wasn't being launched at all. He sighed heavily in defeat.

"Aww, the fuse was a dud." sighed Donald in disappointment. Despite the fact he and the others knew this idea was crazy, they felt bad that Po was now going to miss the Dragon Warrior.

"C'mon son, let's back to work." said Mr. Ping sympathetically, holding out Po's apron.

Po sighed. "Ok..."

Feeling bad for him, a light bulb went off in Donald's head. Hiding his hand behind his back, he snapped his fingers. This caused a fire spell to activate the fireworks, making Po fly through the air.

"Po!" cried Mr. Ping in shock.

Sora and Goofy turned towards Donald who looked at them in return.

"What? I was just trying to help." said the feathered mage.

Sora and Goofy then looked at each other and shrugged before looking back towards Po. They and Mr. Ping watched as the fireworks propelled Po against the wall, on his face, sliding along it.

"Po! Come back!" shouted Mr. Ping.

But it was no use, as Po when then flung into the sky. Mr. Ping, Sora, Goofy, and even Donald looked up in shock.

Po screamed as he continue to go higher in a spawn of fireworks. The crowd watched in awe. Even Shifu and the Furious Five were impressed by the display. Oogway stopped walking to see the sight, end even he was impressed too.

Above, Po screamed as the chair burned away into ashes.

"Uh oh..." he mumbled before falling down into the arena.

Po landed on the ground with an enormous **THUD!** Right in between Oogway and the Five, knocking him unconscious.

"PO!" screamed Mr. Ping before fainting.

"Oh no!" cried Goofy.

"C'mon, boost me up!" cried Sora as he rushed towards the wall.

Deciding not to argue, Donald and Goofy helped boost Sora over the wall. Then, the keyblade wielder helped bring Donald up when the duck was boosted by Goofy. Then, the two helped the king's captain up over the wall, before they ran over to where Oogway, and The Five were, surrounding the unconscious panda. Tigress noticed them.

"Who are you?!" she demanded. Oogway and the rest of the Five then noticed them.

"We're friends of the panda!" explained Goofy, quickly.

"Is he ok?" asked Donald.

"Unconscious." said Tigress.

Sora turned to Donald and both nodded before summoning Kingdom Key and staff, much to everyone in the arena's shock.

"Interesting..." murmured Oogway, silently.

Sora and Donald then shouted, "CURE!"

Po slightly glowed before he began to blink slowly, groaning in pain.

"Oh... my head..." he groaned. He then opened his eyes all the way to see Oogway pointing at him. Po was confused until he realized the where he was "Oh! Okay, sorry! I just wanted to see who the Dragon Warrior was." he quickly explained.

But Oogway seemed to have a strange smile on his face. "How interesting..." he commented.

Tigress walked up behind Po, confused herself. "Master, are you pointing at me?" she asked.

"Him." replied Oogway.

Sora and Donald dismissed their weapons as they and Goofy looked at the turtle, just as confused as everyone else.

"Who?" asked Po, shifting side to side. But every time he moved, Oogway's claw kept pointing at him.

"You." replied Oogway.

Po was now even more confused. "Me?"

Oogway then raised Po's arm with his staff and said eight words that shocked EVERYONE.

"The universe has brought us the Dragon Warrior!" he declared.

"What?" asked Po, confused.

"What?!" asked the Five in shock.

"What?!" exclaimed Sora, Donald, and Goofy in shock as well.

"What?!" exclaimed Shifu in shock and disbelief.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Mr. Ping, who apparently was conscious again, poking his head through the door to see everything.

Then, a bell was rung, only for the guy who rang it to have his mallet snatched away by Shifu in irritation. But it was too late. The crowd began to celebrate.

"Well that was..." began Sora.

"Unexpected..." finished Donald and Goofy in unison.

The celebration was short lived as out of nowhere, dozens of Heartless spawned around the arena.

"Heartless?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy exclaimed in shock, before summoning their weapons.

"What the-?!" cried Po.

"What are they?!" exclaimed Tigress.

"The bad guys!" shouted Donald.

Shifu was in panic as he rushed over to Oogway. "Master, what do we do?! Everyone in here is in danger!" he asked his master.

Oogway remained silent, then when he saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy rush into battle, he smiled, knowing everything was gonna be ok. "Let the tournament continue!" he shouted.

Shifu stared in disbelief for a moment before shouting to his students, "Furious Five, ATTACK!"

The Five nodded before going into battle. Po would've run for it, decided to help out, but stuck close to Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

 _(Ansem, Seeker of Darkness Boss Fight from Kingdom Hearts plays)_

 _Mission: Fight alongside the Furious Five and defeat the Heartless._

 _Party Members:  
_ _Sora_

 _Donald Duck_

 _Goofy_

 _Po_

 _Assistants:  
_ _Tigress_

 _Viper_

 _Crane_

 _Mantis_

 _Monkey_

Sora struck two Heartless with his keyblade before casting a fire spell on another three to his left. He then slashed two more before they could reach the drummers. Donald casted lightning spells on a group of Heartless near the exit as Mr. Ping ran for cover in the crowd. The feathered mage then bashed his staff against another one before using a light spell.

Goofy bashed his shield against any Heartless that stood in front of him. He then tossed it like a Frisbee against three nearby the balcony where Shifu and Oogway stood in front of before either of them could be attacked. He the used Goofy Tornado once he was surrounded. Po meanwhile, did his best to punch and kick any Heartless that came his way, though it was difficult since he was never in a situation like this before.

Tigress and Monkey punched, kicked, and swung against more Heartless they came across. Tigress slashed some with her claws, and monkey managed to use his tail to swing some Heartless into each other.

"Never fought creatures like these before..." Monkey couldn't help but comment.

"Shut it and focus!" shouted Tigress, punching another Heartless without even looking.

Crane flew circles around more Heartless, and when he had the chance, kicked them with his clawed feet and even with his beak. He saw goofy use his shield like a Frisbee, and decided to do the same thing with his hat. Viper quickly slithered around more Heartless, and managed to slash them with her tail, and tied herself around some of them, managing to squeeze them hard enough back into the darkness. Mantis, despite his size, was able to punch and kick a few Heartless, and was able to pick some up, and fling them into each other.

Eventually, everyone regrouped into the center of the arena after all the Heartless were defeated. Before anyone could say anything, a giant Neo-Shadow spawned between them and the gates.

"Oh boy..." Po, Crane, and Monkey all said in unison.

"By the scrolls of China..." gasped Tigress.

Viper and Mantis stared in disbelief.

Sora turned to Donald, who nodded before taking Sora's hand, transforming him into his blue wisdom form. Sora leaped forward, and slashed Kingdom Key against the giant Heartless before using Magic Spice to finish the creature of darkness off.

The Neo-shadow fell to the ground, and disappeared as a heart floated away to Kingdom Hearts.

Sora landed on the ground, his clothes returning to normal, and Donald reappeared alongside him.

 _(Ansem, Seeker of Darkness Boss Fight from Kingdom Hearts ends)_

Once the dust settled, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, and the Five turned to see Oogway approach them. Immediately, the Five bowed. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Po quickly followed.

"You all performed valiantly." he praised. He turned to Po. "You truly are the Dragon Warrior."

Shifu ran up to Master Oogway, whispered something, and pulled him aside before talking to him quietly.

"That flabby panda can't possibly be the answer to... our problem! You were about to point at Tigress and that _thing_ fell in front of her! And I don't trust those three strangers, even if they knew how to handle those creatures that boy Riku warned us about. That was just an accident!"

Oogway smiled. "There are no accidents."

Shifu stared in disbelief.

Oogway reapproached those who fought the Heartless. "You four can spend a few nights here at the palace." he said kindly.

"Wow! Thank you... Master Oogway." thanked Sora, reaching out to shake Oogway's "hand," making the Five and Shifu roll their eyes at such an offer towards a kung fu master. Surprisingly, Oogway smiled and shook it, before gesturing towards the door with his staff. Nodding, Sora led Po, Donald, and Goofy inside as the crowd cheered for them and the Five's bravery. After commending the Five, Oogway then followed the panda and the travelers, slowly.

Shifu just stared as the four guests went inside, one eye twitching with his jaw dropped. The Five approached him with sorry expressions across their faces.

"Forgive us master. We failed you." said Tigress, apologetically as she and her fellow masters bowed.

Shifu held up his paw. "No. If the panda, human, duck, and dog don't quit or leave by morning, then _I_ would've failed _you_." he told them firmly.

As he talked, no one in the whole arena noticed four humans in Organization cloaks stand on the mountains. They had seen everything.

"I've seen enough." one of them said before he and the others disappeared.

* * *

Meanwhile, Axel finally arrived at his destination to hide form the Organization. A familiar place he hadn't been to for quite a while. The last place he thought the Organization would look for him.

"Castle Oblivion." the redhead muttered. "Man it's been months since I was last here."

Axel then teleported inside, unaware that this would only be a short visit. But it wouldn't be because the Organization would find him. No. Something else would cause him to leave Castle Oblivion.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _ **Let me know what you think! I'll see ya soon!**_


	3. Chapter 3: Training and Trouble

The Doors to the Jade Palace opened to reveal Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy entering, the crows still cheering.

"Thank you very much!" called Sora.

"Yeah, you're too kind!" added Donald.

The doors then shut as Po looked around the room in awe. "The Sacred Hall of Warriors! No way!" he exclaimed.

Po then started looking around at such historical things he thought were amazing.

He walked up to what looked like a rhinoceros' armor and gasped. "Master Flying Rhino's armor!" he then looked a little more closely adding excitedly, "with authentic battle damage!"

Donald noticed a shiny green sword. "Ooh! Shiny..." he muttered, greedily.

Po noticed and gasped. "Donald! Don't touch it!" he cried, running up to the duck.

Donald quickly raised his hands in surrender. "I wasn't gonna steal it!" he quacked.

"Even if you weren't, you shouldn't touch it!" said Po. "It's the sword of heroes." he explained. "Said to be so sharp _(slowly raises his finger to it)_ that you can cut yourself by simply looking at it-OOOWW!" he then yelped as he put his finger in his mouth, seemingly cut by the sword. Donald did a double-take on the sword and slowly backed away with his hands behind his back.

Goofy walked over to what appeared to be an empty pedestal. "Hey, there's nothing here." he commented, a little disappointed. Po walked up to the king's captain.

"Yes there is Goofy! The Invisible Trident of Destiny!" said Po, excitedly.

Goofy looked at the "invisible trident" and just blinked.

Po then joined Sora, glancing up at a painting. "I've only seen paintings of that painting..." he told his first human friend. Sora looked at him, and then at the painting again.

Soon, Po couldn't stop looking at everything around the hall. Sora, Donald, and Goofy joined in, also intrigued and amazed by the artifacts.

They soon regrouped until Po noticed something.

"Noooooo! Ohhhh!" he exclaimed, his tone in disbelief. He ran up to what looked like a glass urn, glowing on the inside.

"What's that?" asked Sora.

"Looks like some sort of urn thingy." remarked Goofy.

"Not just any urn guys!" explained Po. "It's the Legendary Urn of Whispering Warriors... said to contain the souls of the entire Tenshu Army!"

"Huh?" asked Sora.

Po blinked in disbelief before telling then the story.

"The five hundred warriors of Tenshu were called upon to defend an isolated village of peaceful potters from the attack of ten thousand demons of the Scarlet Moon. Though outnumbered twenty to one, the valiant warriors held the dark horde back for a hundred days, fighting shoulder to shoulder in formation and whispering to each other, 'hold fast, brothers, hold fast' to keep up their courage."

"Wow!" the three exclaimed.

Po nodded before continuing. "They fought to their last breath and successfully drove the assassins back. The grateful village worked together to make the most perfect ceramic vase they had ever created, molded from the clay of the battlefield and moistened with their tears." he added, sadly.

Sora and Donald had sad expressions on their faces while Goofy sniffed. "Gawrsh, that's very sad." he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Po nodded again before saying, "It is said that the souls of the noble warriors of Tenshu live on inside the vase, waiting to be called on again in a time of need. If you are very quiet and still, you may hear them whispering, 'hold fast, brothers, hold fast...'"

"Wow..." the three exclaimed again, softly this time.

The four the looked at the urn again before Po whispered, "Hello?"

"Have you finished sightseeing?" came a voice.

Donald quacked in alarm as the others gasped.

"Sorry!" Sora whispered, apologetically. "We probably should've seen you first." he added, sheepishly.

"My patience is wearing thin." the voice said.

"Oh. Well, I mean, it's not like you were going anywhere." said Po.

"Do turn around." said the voice.

"Sure." replied Po. The four turned to see Master Shifu, looking at them. "Hey how's it going?" asked Po, casually.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy, on the other hand, had their eyes widen at the master.

Po didn't noticed as he turned back to the urn, leaning in to it. "Now how do you get get five hund-" he began before realizing who was there. "Master Shifu!" he exclaimed, before accidentally knocking over the urn in shock, making it fall to the ground and shatter as a ghostly wail sounded out from it.

"Uh oh." Sora, Donald, and Goofy muttered in unison.

"Someone, broke that... but I'm gonna fix it..." mumbled Po. "Do you have some... glue?" he asked, sheepishly.

Shifu looked at him unamused before saying sarcastically with a smirk, "So you're the legendary Dragon Warrior, hmm?"

"Uh... I guess so?" answered an unsure Po.

"WRONG!" exclaimed Shifu, furiously. "You are not the Dragon Warrior. You will _never_ be the Dragon Warrior until you have learned the secret of the Dragon Scroll."

He then pointed his bamboo staff towards the ceiling, showing a green dragon stature holding a red scroll with green caps in its mouth.

"Wow..." Sora, Po, Donald, and Goofy exclaimed in unison.

"So how does this work? You have a ladder or trampoline or..." asked Po.

Shifu snickered coldly. "You think it's that easy? That I'm just going to _hand_ you the secret to limitless power?" he asked.

"No, I-" began Po before Shifu approached him, motioning the world-travelers to stand back. They did so without having to be told twice.

"One must first master the highest level of kung fu. And that is clearly impossible if that one is someone like you." said Shifu, bitterly.

"Someone like me?" asked Po.

"Yes. Look at you! This fat butt. _(hits Po's butt with his staff, making Po cry out)_ Flabby arms! _(hits Po's arm)_ "

"Ouch!" groaned Po. "Those are sensitive in the flabby parts." he muttered

"And this ridiculous belly!" _(j_ _abs Po's stomach)_

"Hey..." said Po, offended, before knocking into the urn pieces which moaned quietly.

"And _utter_ disregard for personal hygiene." added the red panda, harshly.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy glared. "Well that was uncalled for." Sora whispered to his friends. The duck and dog nodded in agreement.

"Now wait a minute." began Po, offended "That's a little uncalled for-"

"Don't stand so close, I can smell your breath." interrupted Shifu.

"Listen, Oogway said that I was the-" began Po before Shifu grabbed the panda's outstretched finger and lifted his pinky. Po gasped in horror. "The Wuxi Finger Hold! Not the Wuxi Finger Hold!" he pleaded

"Ohhh, you know this hold?" asked Shifu, slyly.

'Is it that bad?' Sora, Donald, and Goofy though in unison with skeptical looks on their faces.

" _(slurred together)_ Developed by Master Wuxi in the third dynasty. Yes!" answered Po, nervously.

"Oh, then you must know what happens when I flex my pinky..." said Shifu, slyly.

Po gasped. "No no no!" he pleaded.

"You know the hardest part of this? The hardest part... is cleaning up afterwards." said Shifu before chuckling.

"Okay! Okay, take it easy!" pleaded Po.

"Now listen closely, panda. Oogway may have picked you, but when I'm through with you, I promise you: You're going to wish he hadn't! Are we clear?" asked Shifu, firmly.

"Yeah. We're clear! We're clear! We are so clear." replied Po, nodding furiously.

"Good." said a satisfied Shifu. "I can't wait to get started." he said in a tone that made shivers flow through Po and even Sora, Donald, and Goofy's spines as they looked nervously at each other.

* * *

Shifu opened the doors to the Training Hall. Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched in awe as they saw the Five train.

Crane was deflecting arrows while balancing on half of a jade-colored turtle shell. Then Tigress leaped onto the shell and briefly spared with him. Meanwhile, Mantis weaved his way through an army of wooden crocodile warriors. Viper evaded fire spurts on the Field of Fiery Death. Monkey swung across the seven-talon rings. Tigress dodged the swinging spiked clubs on spinning serpent logs, then smashed one with her bare fists. A piece of the club struck Po on the head.

"Oof!" Po exclaimed in pain.

"You ok?" asked Sora.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine. Just minimal." replied Po, casually.

Shifu, on the other hand, didn't care as he said, "Alright, let's begin."

Po and the traveler's eyes went wide. "Wait, what?" asked Po.

"Here and know?" asked Goofy in disbelief.

"Yes, now." Shifu said firmly before looking at the panda smugly. "Unless you think that the great Oogway was wrong, and you are not the Dragon Warrior?..." he teased.

"Um, we're just sure if Po could do all of those things the Furious Five did." explained Sora.

Po sighed and smiled. Thank you Sora!

"Well if we don't try, we'll never know now will we?" asked Shifu smugly. He then glared at Sora and his pals. "And this is none of _your_ concern!" he shot, angrily. He then turned around, not noticing the death glares he was receiving from the three. What was wrong with being concerned for a friend?

"Uh, yeah. It's just — maybe we can find something more suited to my level..." began Po, nervously as they walked to the side of the training material.

"And what level is that?" demanded Shifu.

"Well, ya know... I'm not a _master_ , but uh, let's just start at zero. Level Zero." suggested Po.

"'Level zero?'" Sora asked his friends, who only shrugged.

Shifu chuckled in amusement. "Oh no, there is no such thing as Level Zero." he retorted.

Donald then spotted something to the side of the room. It looked like a training dummy with a sort-of friendly smile. "Hey, maybe Po could start off with that." he suggested.

Sora, Goofy, Po, and Shifu looked in the duck's direction and approached it, the latter asking incredulously, " _That?_ We use that for training children. And for propping the door open when it's hot." he explained before smirking. "But if you insist..."

Just then, the Furious Five approached the other five to watch this so-called _training session_.

"Whoa. The Furious Five. You're so much bigger than your action figures — except for you, Mantis. You're about the same." said Po I awe at being in front of his heroes.

Mantis sent a glare in Po's direction.

Goofy whispered to Donald, "I'm thinking he doesn't like people talking about his height."

"Go ahead panda, show us what you can do." said Shifu.

"You got this Po!" supported Sora. Donald and Goofy both gave him two thumbs up.

Po smiled before asking nervously about the Furious Five, "Um, are they going to watch. Or should I just wait until they get back to work or something?... "

The five masters traded glances.

Before Po could continue stalling, Shifu spoke up, "WILL YOU HIT IT?!"

"Alright... alright..." came the reply. Po then softy punched the dummy. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Five traded glances.

"Why don't you try again? A little harder this time." Shifu requested.

Po nodded and punched the dummy hard. "How that-" he began to ask before being hit by the dummy, sending him backwards into the training course. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and even the Five tried to help him, but Shifu held out his hand, stopping them as he watched with interest. The others decided to just watch on.

Po struggled to maintain balance on the serpent logs, eventually doing a painful split between two of them. "Oh that hurts!" he moaned.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Five looked up to see a spiked tethered ball come in Po's direction.

"Po look out!" cried Donald.

But he was too late. By the time Po saw it, hit hit him smack in the head, sending him flying into the turtle bowl. He began to violently roll around in it. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and even Viper watched with worry, Monkey, Mantis, and Crane watched in disbelief, and Tigress watched with disgust. Shifu watched with a smirk across his face.

"This will be easier than I thought." he told the Five.

Sora glared at the red panda. "Don't think that this will make Po leave." he said firmly.

Donald, Goofy, and even the Five stared at Sora in shock that he would talk to a master like that.

Shifu turned around sharply to face Sora. "And what do you _mean_ by that?" he asked, angrily.

Sora wasn't fazed. "You can't change someone from who they are, especially when they have a lot of light in their heart." he said, pointing to his heart;.

Before Shifu could reply, everyone turned to see Po stumble out of the bowl and into the army of spinning wooden clubs, which kept hitting him in various places as he shouted each time, "Ow! Oof!"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Crane, Viper, Monkey, and Mantis winced at the pain Po was going through. Tigress simply kept up her emotionless look and Shifu kept on watching.

"Ow that hurts!" groaned Po as he was still being hit. Suddenly, one of the spikes hit him in the tenders, _**hard.**_

"Ohhhhhhh!" groaned Po.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis' eyes all widened as they winced at the pain Po received, before covering their own important areas, thinking of how painful that was.

"Oh that HAD to hurt!" gasped Sora before turning to the Five. "How did you guys survive?!" he asked.

"We didn't." said Mantis.

"It just never happened, to be honest." added Crane.

"But still, you're right, that _had_ to hurt." nodded Monkey.

Po then finally stumbled out of the poles. But this turned out to be a mistake as he had wandered onto the Field of Fiery Death. "Uh oh..." he mumbled.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Shifu, and the Five watched as the flames came up high, shielding their vision from the brightness while also hearing Po's screams.

"That's new." Crane commented calmly.

"I'm following you." Viper agreed.

"Sheesh, smells like burnt panda corpse."declared Monkey.

"Is ok?" asked Donald, concerned

"5% unknown, 95% _defiantly_." replied Mantis jokingly, only to get shush by Viper's hissing.

Then, the flames died down as Po slowly crawled over to his friends, idols, and master, dazed and charred, with the little tuft on his head on fire.

"Uh, nice job Po..." mumbled Sora with a sheepish smile.

"Pathetic." shot Tigress, cold-bloodily.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared at her jaw-dropped and wide-eyed in shock. That was too honest and hurtful! Couldn't she just give a newcomer encouragement or something?!

Po seemed to ignore that as he asked Shifu, wearily, "How did I do?"

Shifu approached him. "There is now, a level zero." he replied, putting out the tuft of fire on Po's head with his fingers as the panda fell to the ground.

* * *

Later that night, The Furious Five walked back up towards the bunkhouse _(where they slept)_ , talking amongst themselves.

"There's no words." commented Mantis.

"No denying that." agreed Crane.

"I don't understand what Master Oogway was thinking. The poor guy's just going to get himself killed!" said Viper. concerned.

"He is so _mighty_!" mocked Crane. "The Dragon Warrior... fell out of the sky on a ball of fire!" he said exaggeratedly, while flying slightly.

"When he walks, the very ground shakes!" chuckled Mantis.

Everyone laughed except Tigress.

"One would think that Master Oogway would choose _someone_ who actually knew kung fu." she scoffed angrily while leading the way.

"Yeah, or could at least touch his toes." commented Crane.

"Or even _see_ his toes." teased Monkey.

Unknown to them, Po was hiding behind a rock, and had heard everything with a sad look on his face.

As the Five continued up the hill, they soon found themselves face to face with Sora, Donald, and Goofy who gave them angry looks.

"What do you want?" asked Tigress.

"You know, you could all be more nicer to him." said Donald.

"What are you talking about? The panda? You've seen him." scoffed Mantis.

"Still, that doesn't make it right." said Goofy, frowning.

"The least you could do is give him support and encouragement like what _real_ masters are supposed to do." snorted Sora.

Tigress glared. "Are you calling us fake?" she asked dangerously.

Sora then pushed his luck. "Well, if the shoe fits..." he began.

That made Donald, Goofy, Mantis, Viper, Crane, and Monkey wide-eyed.

Furious, Tigress tied to punch him, but found herself stoppering her fist in front of Sora's keyblade.

"What's with they key-shaped sword?" asked Monkey.

"It's called a 'keyblade,' and it is very powerful." replied the teen. "Don't make a mistake you'll regret Master Tigress." he told the female master before desummoning his weapon.

"All we're asking is that you guys take it easy with Po. Sure he may be, um, inexperienced, but that doesn't give you the right to treat him the way you are." said Goofy.

"And if you keep up the jealousy, the Heartless might swallow your hearts." warned Donald.

The Five raised their eyebrows.

"Heartless?" asked Viper.

"Those creatures we fought earlier today." replied Sora. "Just be careful." he added, before he Donald, and Goofy walked away.

The Five looked at each other before heading inside.

* * *

Later that night, Po was walking through the halls to his room, while trying to be quiet, but every step he took almost made creaking noises So he tried his best to walk without making a peep, but it was easier said than done, as he ended up stumbling into Crane's room. The bird master looked at Po.

There was a long silence.

Po then spoke up. "Oh hey... hi. You're up."

"Am now." replied Crane.

"I was just, uh... Some day, huh? That kung fu stuff is hard work, right? Your biceps sore?" asked Po.

Crane looked at his wing before replying, "Um... I've had a long and rather disappointing day, so uh... yeah, I should probably get to sleep now."

"Yeah yeah yeah, of course." said Po in understanding.

"Okay, thanks." thanked Crane in relief.

"It's just... I'm such a big fan." admitted Po.

"Oh really?" asked Crane, suddenly amused.

"You guys were totally _amazing_ at the Battle of Weeping River. Outnumbered a thousand to one, but you didn't stop, and then you just... _WA-YA-HA-HA HI-YAH_!" exclaimed Po, doing a couple of moves before accidentally tearing a hole into Monkey's room. "Ooh, sorry." Po told the monkey, who glared at him.

Crane sighed. "Look, you don't belong here."

Po sighed as well. "I know. I know. You're right. I just— my whole life, I've dreamed of-" he began.

Crane seemed slightly taken aback as he quickly clarified, "No no no... I meant you don't belong _here_. I mean, in this room. This is my room. Property of Crane."

Po seemed to get it. "Oh, okay. Right right. Yeah, you want to get to sleep." he replied as he began to back towards the door.

"Yeah." Crane nodded

"I'm keepin' you up. We got big things tomorrow." muttered Po, sheepishly before beginning to shut the door "Alright. You're awesome. Last thing I'm gonna say. Okay. Bye bye."

Po then shut the door, but he was still standing outside of it. Crane sighed. Then, Po opened the door again, much to the bird's surprise.

"What was that?" asked the panda.

"I didn't say anything." replied Crane.

"Okay. Alright. Goodnight. Sleep well." said Po as he shut the door, still standing outside. Crane put his foot to his head in exasperation.

* * *

Outside the room, Po sighed.

"Well, that was awkward." he mumbled.

Just then, Sora, Donald, and Goofy appeared. Po turned around and noticed them.

"C'mon." Sora whispered to the panda. "Our room is next to Crane's."

Po nodded as the four quietly made their way towards the room, when suddenly, Tigress opened her bedroom doors, and stared at them, angrily.

"Master Tigress!" Po winced, quietly. "Didn't mean to wake you, it's just..."

"You don't belong here." Tigress said, bitterly.

"I know. I know, this is your room." said Po in understanding.

Tigress glared. " I mean, you and your friends don't belong in the Jade Palace. You're a disgrace to kung fu, and your friends probably are as well. And if you had _any_ respect for who we are, and what we do, you all will be gone by morning." she shot bitterly before closing her doors.

Po stared at the doors, with a hurt expression across his face. Sora, Donald, and Goofy felt really bad for him. To get rejected by your own heroes.

The four then noticed the rest of the five glare at them before closing their doors.

"Big fan..." called Po, quietly.

"Jeez, no wonder Oogway didn't choose any of them, they're too jealous and conceited." grumbled Donald.

"They're just going through a rough patch Donald. Despite the fact that they shouldn't really take their soft anger out on Po, it's just not easy to just overcome overnight." said Goofy.

Po sighed "I'm going outside. I know when I'm not wanted." he said sadly, carefully walking back outside.

Sora couldn't help but feel bad for the panda as he, Donald, and Goofy quietly followed him.

* * *

Outside, Po sat near a peach tree as the travelers walked up to him.

"Hey Po." greeted Goofy.

"Hey guys." mumbled the panda, sadly.

"Po, we're sorry that your idols treat you like how masters shouldn't." comforted Donald, patting the panda's back as he, Sora, and Goofy sat next to him.

"Thanks you guys." sighed Po. He then strode up to the peach tree. "Anyone hungry?" he asked, casually.

"I could eat." shrugged Sora.

Po nodded before the four of them reached/jumped up to get as many peaches as they could.

Soon, they were all munching on peaches, through Po had a handful in his hands... and mouth. Though none of them noticed Master Oogway walk up behind them, holding a Chinese lamp as a lantern.

"I see you have found the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom." he commented.

The four friends spun around, dropping the peaches in shock.

"Is that what this is? I am so sorry. I thought it was just a regular peach tree." apologized Po with his mouth full.

"So did we!" Sora chimed in as he and his friends held their hands up in surrender.

Oogway smiled in understanding. "I understand." he turned to Po. "You eat when you are upset."

Po swallowed the mouthful of peaches before asking almost incredulously, "Upset? I'm not upset. What makes you think I'm upset?"

Oogway paused before asking, "So why are you upset?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy motioned Po to talk to the wise master. Po sighed. No use lying to someone smart like Oogway.

"I probably sucked more today than anyone in the history of kung fu, in the history of China, in the history of _sucking_." he sighed heavily.

"Probably." commented Oogway."

"And the Five... man, you should have seen them, they totally hate me." Po added, sadly.

"They probably totally hate us too." sighed Sora before adding, "Well Viper doesn't seem too fully hat us."

"Totally." Oogway nodded.

"How's Shifu ever going to turn me into the Dragon Warrior?" Po asked before lifting his belly and dropping it, causing it to bounce until he stopped it with his his paw. He sighed "I mean, I'm not like the Five. I've got no claws, no wings, no venom. Even Mantis has those... _(imitating a mantis's front legs)_...thingies. Maybe I should just quit and go back to making noodles." he sighed heavily.

"Aww..." Donald sighed sadly.

"Po, you shouldn't let what people think of you drag you down. That's what I used to tell my son Max all the time, back when he was picked on for being related to me." comforted Goofy.

"I used to tell the same thing to my nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie." added Donald. "It doesn't mean you should give up so easily."

"They're right Po." Sora chimed in. "If this is your calling, then you should really go for it."

Po smiled sadly.

Oogway nodded at the three's words. "Quit, don't quit. Noodles, don't noodles." Po and his friends looked back at the master, confused. "You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There's a saying: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present." said Oogway before hitting the tree with his staff, making a peach fall into Po's paw.

Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared in surprise.

"That was..." began Donald.

"Peculiar." finished Goofy.

"And very wise." murmured Sora before turning to Po. "I'd take his advice if I were you."

Po nodded. "And I know just what I'm gonna do tomorrow." he said, determined.

Sora smiled. "We're with you until this place is safe from the Heartless." Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

* * *

Meanwhile at Castle Oblivion, Axel watched the whole scene play out on the crystal ball he, Marluxia, and Larxene used to spy on Sora, Donald, and Goofy during their visit here. He had seen _everything_. The Sacred Hall of Warriors, the training room, the Five's harsh words, and the scene at the peach tree.

"Man. That sure is an interesting world." he commented. "Hard to believe that such great kung fu masters like those five and their master can be so cruel." he added. He then smirked. "Their sarcasm and snarky attitudes almost remind me of Zexion."

He then thought back to a conversation between the late Number 6, and their late Number 4, Vexen, Xigbar had told him about, not long after Marluxia joined the Organization, and not long before Larxene and Roxas joined.

* * *

 _Axel's memory:_

 _Zexion was walking through the Castle That Never was when he heard Vexen's voice._

" _Zexion! Zexion!"_

 _Vexen came running down the stairs as Zexion sighed._

" _Right here, what is it?"_

" _Where is Lord Xemnas?" asked Vexen._

" _His usual spot." said Zexion sarcastically, as if it were obvious._

" _The Camber of Repose?" asked Vexen._

" _Yes. Go and see for yourself." replied Zexion in sarcasm._

" _That isn't funny!" snapped Vexen. He then started to walk away. "I suppose I have no choice but to wait. But the clock is ticking Time is running out. What to do?"_

 _Zexion watched him go as he heard, "Why is never around when I need him? It's almost as id he knows I'm looking for him." The blueish-gray-haired Nobody simply rolled his eyes amd began walking away, before the heard Xigbar's voice._

* * *

Axel chuckled at the memory. "Tigress almost reminds me of Zexion. With a little hint of Vexen in there as well." he commented. Then, a thought crossed his mind. "Wonder what Xemnas and the Organization is up to now."

Axel then watched as the crystal ball changed to show the Organization's throne room, where Xemnas, Xigbar, Saïx, and Luxord sat in their regular seats, appearing to have a meeting.

* * *

 _At The World That Never Was..._

In the throne room, there was indeed a meeting going on.

"So Xemnas? What's your take on those kung fu fighters?" asked Xigbar.

"They indeed seem to be very skilled warriors." said Xemnas. "Whoever would've received the title of the Dragon Warrior would've really sparked my interest."

"And why would you say that?" asked Luxord.

"Kingdom Hearts is almost complete, but we are running low on help." replied the superior.

"Indeed. Organization XIII is down to four members." nodded Saïx. "Ever since Roxas and Axel betrayed us, we were down to six until Sora killed Demyx and Xaldin."

"And if we are ever going to rule the worlds with our hearts again, we need more help. Demyx failed twice to persuade Roxas to return to our side." said Xemnas.

"What does that have to do with the Furious Five?" asked Luxord.

"You have seen their skills and abilities at the tournament." reminded Saïx. "They have been training for many years and now many moves that make them very powerful, very strong, and very tough."

"Indeed. They don't take any nonsense from anyone. They already proved that with their bitter attitude towards the so called, 'Dragon Warrior. and his friends, the ones who keep messing around with our plans." mused Xemnas.

Xigbar chuckled. "Heh. You got that right. Jealousy and bitterness seemed to have taken over their hearts." he paused and smirked. "Perfect for unwittingly attracting the Heartless."

"Not necessarily." said Xemnas. "It may or may not attract the Heartless, but I can detect that their hearts are very pure."

Saïx knew where this was going. "You want the Furious Five on our side, don't you? To have them turned into Heartless, and let their pure hearts help fill Kingdom Hearts, and have their Nobodies serve us." he guessed.

Xemnas smirked darkly. "Indeed. They display such skill that if corrupted by the Darkness, can make them unstoppable. More powerful. Worthy to serve us."

"Ah I get it. We capture them, have them consumed by their jealously, anger, hatred, and bitterness into the Darkness, then they'll be serving us whether they like it or not." nodded Xigbar in understanding.

"And even if they try to resist, they'll be completely outnumbered, since we control the Darkness that has been spreading across the worlds." nodded Saïx.

"Maybe even if we're lucky, we could get their masters as well." suggested Luxord.

"Maybe Shifu." shrugged Xigbar. "As for Oogway, he may be very powerful, but something tells me that old coot will be gone soon."

"Indeed." nodded Xemnas. "And if we are lucky, Shifu will fall into our grasp as well. And if the panda does eventually learn kung fu... he'll be ours as well." He turned towards his remaining members. "You will head to Chor-Gom Prison, and free _the true Dragon Warrior_." he ordered.

Saïx nodded. "Of course. Tai Lung is the perfect candidate to bring the world into darkness. His heart is full of revenge and anger towards those who seemed to care about him, but betrayed him in the end."

"And make sure he doesn't double cross us." added Xemnas.

"Of course, wouldn't want that to happened, now would we?" joked Xigbar.

"What about Sora?" asked Luxord.

"Let him continue to help us with Kingdom Hearts." said Xemnas. "And if he interferes, destroy him and his friends." he added darkly.

Saïx nodded. "Yes we shall, Lord Xemnas."

Luxord tossed his dice into the air. "The dice have been set. The Furious Five will be our prisoners and then our servants, Tai Lung shall be free and have his revenge, and eventually, the keyblade wielder will still have his fate sealed with his friends should he meddle with our plans." he declared.

Xemnas nodded. "Now, dismissed."

With that, Xigbar, Saïx, and Luxord teleported away to the prison.

Xemnas smirked. "The keybearer will never know what hit him or his friends once my plan for them is in motion."

* * *

At Castle Oblivion, Axel had heard and seen everything. He smirked. "That's true Xemnas, Sora will never know about your plans to capture the Furious Five to make them yours, while he continues your plan for Kingdom Hearts." he paused before smirking again. "But you failed to realize that I have just seen everything, even if you didn't know it." he teased. "Better warn Sora and his friends once things get out of hand."

Axel then began to leave the room. He paused and thought of something else. "Then again, I doubt Sora, Donald, and Goofy would want to see me after everything that's happened." he then shrugged. "Then again, never hurts to try." then, another thought crossed his mind. "I've seen Riku lurk around that place since the tournament. Maybe I should let him in on everything Xemnas is up to. After all, he is watching over his best friend without him realizing it."

Axel then began to teleport to find Riku while asking sarcastically, "Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?"

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _ **Rate and review!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Escape, Trust, and Sparring

_During the time of the tournament:_

Shifu and Oogway's messenger, Zeng was flying through the snowy mountains to Chorn-Gom Prison to alert the guards about Oogways's vision: Tai Lung, a dangerous snow leopard, escaping prison, and exacting his revenge. Shifu had wanted him to make sure everything was now under extra caution at that prison to avoid that vision from coming true.

Zeng arrived at the entrance where two rhino guards stood. They aimed their spears at the bird.

"Wait, wait, wait wait! I bring a message! From Master Shifu!" Zeng explained quickly.

The rhinos relaxed a little after hearing that.

* * *

Inside, Zeng gave the commander of the prison, Commander Vachir, Shifu's message. The messenger bird watch nervously as the rhino read the message. And he did not like what he read.

"WHAT?! 'Double the guard? Extra precautions? Your prison may not be adequate?'" he exclaimed angrily. He slammed the scroll shut and glared down at the quaking Zeng. The guards behind the goose gripped their weapons, equally outraged, and stared daggers at him. "You doubt my prison's security?" he asked the goose, dangerously.

"Absolutely not. Shifu does. I'm just the messenger." Zeng explained, gulping.

"I'll give you a message for your Master Shifu, 'Escape from Chor-Gom Prison is impossible!'" scoffed Vachir, leading Zeng across a bridge.

Zeng looked around the prison, a little nervously as there were a bunch of tough-looking rhino guards everywhere.

"Impressive, isn't it?" asked Vachir.

"Oh yes, it's very impressive. It's _very_ impressive!" trembled Zeng.

"One way in, one way out, 1,000 guards... and _one_ prisoner." Vachir added.

"Yes, except that prisoner is _Tai Lung_..." mumbled Zeng, worriedly.

The two then entered an elevator.

"Take us down." Vachir ordered two guards.

The guards nodded as they sent the elevator all the way down to the bottom of the prison. Vachir shook the elevator to scare Zeng, and laughed at his frightened reaction.

* * *

Eventually, they made it to the bottom. Zeng was led towards a set of heavily-armored doors, which opened one after the other.

"Oh my..." the palace goose mumbled.

The final door fell forward, creating a bridge towards a circular stone island in the middle of the abyss. In the middle of the island was a figure shrouded in darkness.

"Behold, Tai Lung." said Vachir.

Zeng's eyes widened."I'll, um... I'm just gonna wait right here." he said, nervously.

Vachir laughed. "It's nothing to worry about. It's perfectly safe." He pushed Zeng across the bridge, and followed after before shouting to a guard, "Crossbows! At the ready!"

"Crossbows?!" exclaimed Zeng, quietly.

In sentry towers around the walls of the prison, guard train enormous crossbows on the figure on the island as Vachir and Zeng approached. Tai Lung, once a mighty kung fu warrior, was now weighed down with chains attached to enormous rocks hanging over the sides of the island, immobilized by a special stone tortoise shell on his back.

"Hey, tough guy! Did you hear? Oogway's finally going to give someone the Dragon Scroll and it's _not_ going to be you!" informed Vachir, teasingly.

"What are you doing? Don't get him mad!" exclaimed Zeng.

"What's he gonna do about it? I've got him completely immobilized." scoffed Vachir before stomping on Tai Lung's tail, which crunched on impact. Zeng leaped back with a gasp, but Tai Lung made no movement. Vachir laughed. "Awww, did I step on the witty kitty's tail? Awww..." he mocked.

"I'm good! I've seen enough! I'm gonna tell Shifu he's got nothing to worry about." said Zeng.

"No he doesn't." nodded Vachir.

They walked back across the bridge.

"Okay I'll tell him. Can we please go now?..." asked Zeng as they re-entered the elevator, which was brought up.

Tai Lung sat quietly before a voice sounded out.

"Tai Lung... mighty kung fu warrior."

The snow leopard's eyes shot open.

"Who's there?..." he hissed.

As if on cue, Xigbar, Saïx, and Luxord teleported in. It had been Xigbar's voice.

"Greetings Tai Lung. We are members of Organization XIII." greeted Luxord.

"Why do you bother me..." the snow leopard growled.

Xigbar smirked. "Is that any way to treat those who are on your side?" he asked, teasingly.

Tai Lung's ears slightly went up.

"That's right. We are here to help you get put of this prison." said Saïx. He paused before approaching the snow leopard, without any fear across his scarred face. "If you help us as well."

"Name your price..." said Tai Lung.

Saix nodded. "We know how much you hate the Furious Five. And already, the title of the Dragon Warrior has been given away." he began.

"And there are some enemies of ours that are lurking around here as well. A human boy with a key-shaped sword called a keyblade, a white duck with a wizard's staff, and a black dog with a knight's shield." added Luxord.

"They've been unwittingly helping our leader, Xemnas complete a magical thing called Kingdom Hearts by destroying creatures called the Heartless, but have been responsible for the loss of several of our members. As well as to the fact they're stopping the darkness form overtaking this world, and plan to stop our superior's plans." added Xigbar.

"We will give you your freedom, and chance for revenge... if you destroy the keyblade wielder, the dragon warrior, the duck, and dog. And if you come across the Furious Five, and eventually, their master... capture them, and leave them to us." said Saïx.

"...Done." came the reply.

"Good answer." smiled Luxord.

Saïx snapped his fingers, and then the Heartless appeared around the four of them.

"We give you the power of the Heartless to help you with conquering this world into darkness. But be warned: Don't give into the darkness _too_ much, or they'll swallow your heart." said Saïx.

Tai Lung nodded.

Xigbar, Saïx, and Luxord the disappeared as the Heartless broke Tai Lung from his shell, leaving him in chains before they disappeared.

* * *

Up above, Vachir heard the commotion and looked down to see what happened.

"Oh no!" he cried.

Zeng quickly strode up. "What's happening?!" he asked, worriedly, before looking down and a horrified expression crossed his face as he saw what was going on.

"To your battle stations!" shouted Vachir.

The rhino guards did so, and rushed to their positions.

"Fire crossbows!" shouted Vachir.

The guards did so, but Tai Lung dodged several of the incoming spears, and then moved himself so the next one broke him free of one of his shackles, much to the guards' horror. With his free paw, he ripped off the other one.

"Tai Lung is _free_!" screamed Zeng. "I must warn Shifu!"

He began to run, but Vachir stopped him by grabbing him.

"You're not going anywhere and neither is he!" he said firmly.

"Let go of me!" pleaded Zeng.

Vachir turned towards the guards down below and shouted, "Bring it up!"

Quickly, the rhinos at the elevator brought it up, but it left some guards behind.

The rhinos began to attack Tai Lung, firing spears at him, one of which he redirected into the crossbow, destroying it, and the rest he kicked back up into the walls, creating a makeshift staircase. He began making his way up the spears, towards the elevator.

"He's coming this way!" cried Zeng.

"He won't get far." said Vachir. He turned to some more guards. "Archers!"

Leaping across the spears, Tai Lung caught the elevator, hiding under it as the volley of arrows flew down past him. The guards cut the rope and the elevator crashed back down to the bottom of the pit. The guards celebrated for a second before Tai Lung swung up from the bottom of the elevator house and caught the guards by surprise. He grabbed the chain and jumped over the edge and swung around, launching himself up to the next tier, disappearing into the shadows. Tai Lung landed on a bridge, fighting his way through hundreds of guards, finally reaching the top tier where Vachir _(still clutching Zeng)_ and the rest of the rhino army awaited him.

Tai Lung and Vachir and his men starred daggers at each other while Zeng gulped.

"We're dead. So very, very dead." he wheezed.

Vachir laughed. "Not yet we're not." he turned to some more guards. "NOW!"

At his command, anarcher fired a flaming arrow upward and it set off charges on the ceiling. Massive stalactites crashed down and the bridge began to crumble. Tai Lung leaped across the crumbling debris and attempted one last huge jump towards Vachir. But he falls short, claws scraping and sparking against the rock wall. Vachir laughed maniacally. On his way down, Tai Lung looked up and saw a fuse burning down to the last group of explosives. He leaped across the raining debris up to the ceiling of the cavern. Grabbing a hold of the dynamite, Tai Lung fell towards the army.

"Can we run now?" asked Zeng.

Knowing they were defiantly done for, Vachir replied. "Y-Yes..."

Tai Lung then flung the dynamite.

* * *

 _ **KA-BOOM!**_

Vachir, Zeng, and the guards were sent flying out the prison by the explosion.

Zeng got up and coughed out some smoke. He looked around and the unconscious commander and his guards. Suddenly, Tai Lung appeared behind them, and grabbed the poor goose in his paws. He looked at the trembling Zeng for a moment then sighed.

"I'm glad Shifu sent you. I was beginning to think I had been forgotten. _(w_ _ith a creepy tenderness, Tai Lung smoothed the goose's ruffled feathers. Then he leans closer to Zeng.)_ Fly back there and tell them... the _real_ Dragon Warrior is coming home." he told the goose.

Zeng nodded in terror as Tai Lung flung him up into the air, flying back to the Jade Palace to warn Shifu.

Just then, Xigbar, Saïx, and Luxord reappeared through a Corridor of Darkness.

"Bravo Tai Lung!" praised Xigbar in a snarky way, clapping his hands sarcastically. "You really are the almighty Dragon Warrior, taking down so many guards without using the Heartless."

Tai Lung smirked.

Luxord walked up. "You remember our deal?"

The snow leopard nodded. "Capture the Furious Five and let you deal with them, destroy the so-called Dragon Warrior, they keyblade wielder & his friends, and take over the valley." he replied with an evil grin.

Saïx then approached Tai Lung. "Correct. Once this world falls into darkness, Xemnas will allow you to rule this world, _under_ his order." His expression then turned dangerous. "But be warned." he then summoned his claymore and held it up to Tai Lung's neck, making the snow leopard a bit surprised. "Betray our trust and defy our orders, you will have to answer to the superior. Are we clear?"

Tai Lung smirked. "You have my word."

Nodding, Saïx dismissed his weapon, opened another corridor and followed Xigbar and Luxord through it.

Tai Lung then snapped his paw-fingers and some Heartless appeared. "Dispose of Commander Vachir and his pathetic guards." he ordered.

The Heartless nodded as Tai Lung ran off towards his destination. But before they could, Riku appeared out of nowhere, and used his keyblade to destroy them.

Vachir weakly stood up.

"Who are you?" he asked, weakly.

"Doesn't matter, stay down. I'll handle these creatures." said Riku.

Vachir watched as Riku handled the rest of the Heartless. He then strode up to the cloaked teen. "On behalf of me and my men, I'd like to thank you for saving us." he thanked.

"You're welcome." replied Riku. He looked over to some of the injured guards. "I suggest we get them inside."

Vachir nodded as he, Riku, and some of the uninjured guards helped the injured back inside the prison.

Once that was done, Riku looked out to the moon before going through a Corridor of Darkness.

* * *

Later, Riku appeared on top of the same mountain Organization XIII was on when observing the tournament they day before. The sun was out, and it would soon be time for the kung fu masters _(and their guests)_ to get up. He couldn't help but wonder out loud.

"Tai Lung being broken out of prison to exact his revenge and bring this world to darkness I get, as well as try to kill Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. But why would Xemnas want the Furious Five?' he asked himself.

"Why do you think?" asked a voice.

Suddenly, behind Riku, Axel appeared.

The two remained quiet fro a little bit before Riku spoke up.

"Axel. Haven't seen you since I let you and Naminé go." remarked Sora's best friend.

Axel rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Yeah. Guess so..." he muttered.

"Still trying to capture Sora and bring Roxas back?" asked Riku.

Axel shook his head. "Nah, gave up on that. Besides, my opinion on the boy has changed dramatically. Plus, I know for a fact that Roxas wouldn't be happy if that was the way I got him back. Got it memorized?" he replied while saying his catchphrase.

Riku nodded, having known of Axel and Roxas' friendship.

Uncomfortably, Axel asked, "How's Kairi?"

"Safe in Radient Garden after I rescued her from you after ya kidnapped her in Twilight Town." came the reply.

Axel sighed. "Not one of my proudest moments, I'll admit that." he admitted. He then strode up to Riku. "Anyways, to answer your question, I know what else Xemnas has been planning."

"And what would that be?" asked Riku.

"While hiding at Castle Oblivion, I observed the Organization talking about the Furious Five. Xemnas can't help but focus on their anger and jealously on the inside about neither of them being picked to be the Dragon Warrior. He also somehow managed to detect their hearts were pure enough for Kingdom Hearts." answered the redhead. "Catch my drift?" he asked.

Riku though for a moment before gasping softly. "The Organization wants to turn the Furious Five into Heartless?" he asked, shocked.

"Pretty much. And if they can, Master Shifu as well. And for some reason, not Oogway. But anyways, should they be casted into Darkness, Xemnas wants their Heartless to fill Kingdom Hearts, and their Nobodies to work for him." added Axel.

"Their Nobodies?" asked Riku before realizing what Axel was taking about. "Of course... they're powerful kung fu masters. With their moves combined with the Darkness, they'd be unstoppable." he realized.

Axel smirked. "Bingo. That's why Xigbar, Saïx, and Luxord broke Tai Lung out. To help them with their plan for those five."

Riku was silent as he looked towards the Jade Palace.

"The Furious Five are in danger of the Organization, this world is in danger of Tai Lung and the darkness, and your friends, Sora, Donald, and Goofy are still putting their lives in danger to protect this world. Whaddya gonna do?" asked Axel.

Riku sighed. "We'll see how things go. Guess we'll have to improvise as Sora, Donald, and Goofy's time in this world goes on." He turned towards Axel. "And you're gonna help me in this, right?" he asked a bit uncertainly, with a hint of suspicion.

Axel shrugged. "Might as well, since the Organization is gonna want my head after I left it like Roxas did."

Riku nodded. "Good."

The two shook hands before Axel stood beside Riku. "By the way, what ever happened to the mouse king?" he asked, curious.

"Mickey? Don't know." replied Riku. "Haven't seen him since after I got Roxas to the digital Twilight Town. I expect he's looking for me as well."

Axel nodded. "I see."

The two then heard the sound of a gong ring around the valley. Riku and Axel looked towards the Jade Palace, wondering what today was gonna be like for Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, Shifu, and the Five since yesterday.

* * *

Inside the bunkhouse, at the sound of the gong, the Furious Five burst out of their rooms to Shifu's attention.

"Good morning master." they said, simultaneously.

Shifu looked around, noticing they were four guests short.

"Panda! Human! Duck! Dog!" he shouted before bursting the room's doors open. "Wake up!"

But the room was empty. Shifu smiled as this was what he wanted and smirked. "They've quit."

* * *

Later, Shifu and his students made their way to the training courtyard. None of them noticed Riku and Axel watching them on top of a hill on the other side of the wall.

"Master, do you think we were all a bit hard on our guests yesterday?" asked Viper, worriedly. "I mean, they did help us with those creatures." she added. Apparently, she had taken the time to ponder Sora, Donald, and Goofy's words from last night, and couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Shifu shook his head. "Don't blame yourselves. If the panda were the true Dragon Warrior, he would not have quit." he replied, smirking.

"But what about those Heartless creatures?" asked Crane.

"We can handle them without their help." replied Tigress.

"Not that I doubt your skills, but you don't know the Heartless like we do." came a voice.

Shifu and the Five turned around to see Sora, leaning up against a tree with his arms crossed, a smug smile on his face.

"Sora?" asked Mantis.

"That's my name." the teen chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" asked Shifu, firmly.

"Just thought I should let you know that me and my friends never quit at all." Sora shrugged before gesturing towards the door.

Trading nervous glances with his students, Shifu opened the doors, revealing Po in the middle of the courtyard, his legs spread wide apart on two training horses. Donald and Goofy were watching.

Shifu and the five were taken aback as the kung fu master saked firmly, "What are you doing here?!"

Po jumped. "Hey! Huh... Good morning, Master! I just thought I'd warm up a little." greeted Po. He tried to move one of his legs... but couldn't.

"You're stuck." said Shifu, blandly.

"Stuck?! Whaa? Pfft... stuck... does this look stuck to you...?" asked Po, trying to move before admitting, "Yeah, I'm stuck."

Sora facepalmed himself in embarrassment.

"He's been like this all morning." said Donald.

"We tried all we could to help him out." added Goofy.

Shifu spoke to Crane. "Help him."

"Oh dear..." sighed Crane.

Donald and Goofy joined Sora to the side as Crane strode up to Po. The bird gingerly grabbed Po's waistband and attempted to pull him up by flapping his wings.

"Maybe on three" he told himself. "One, two..." he began before pulling Po out of his position.

"Not bad at all." mused Donald.

Po got up and looked at Crane. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." replied Crane, dryly.

"No really, I apprecia-" began Po.

" _Ever._ " interrupted Crane, going back over to the group.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy scowled at the bird at the harsh reply.

As Crane made his way back to the group, Shifu spoke to Po.

"You actually thought you could learn to do a full split in one night?" he asked indignantly. "It takes years to develop one's flexibility... _(flings_ _two boards into the air, and Tigress stepped forwards)_ and years longer to apply it in combat."

He then snapped his fingers. Instantly, Tigress leaped up and executeda perfect split kick. Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were awestruck at such a display. Tigress landed, glared at Po and returned to Shifu's side. The broken chunks of board landed all around Po, a large one knocking him on the head. Po picked up the piece of splintered board and hid it behind his back.

Shifu noticed. "Put that down!" he shouted. "The only souvenirs we collect here are bloody knuckles and broken bones."

"Well that's disturbing." Goofy muttered to his pals, who nodded.

Po on the other hand, seemed excited as he chucked the chunk to the side. "Yeah, excellent!"

Shifu smirked. "Let's get started. There is only one way to learn how to fight, and that is to fight."

Po seemed very excited as Shifu turned his attention to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "You may watch or participate."

Sora shrugged. "Well, if we're gonna help protect this place from the Heartless, might as well learn new fighting skills. I'm in!"

Goofy nodded as well. Donald sighed before nodding in agreement.

Shifu smirked. "Very well then."

* * *

10 minutes later, the Furious Five were gathered in a line across from Sora, Po, Donald, and Goofy. Shifu snapped his fingers as Viper strode up to face the panda.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"I was born ready-" began Po before Viper lashedout with her tail, flinging Po into the air and brought him crashing back down on his head.

"OW! Oh..." groaned Po. Sora and Co. winced at the scene.

Viper gasped. "I'm sorry brother! I thought you said you were ready!" she apologized.

To everyone's surprise, Po sprung up. "That was _awesome_! Let's go again." he exclaimed excitedly before saluting.

Shifu scowled a little before looking towards the world-travelers. "You're turn." he told them before quickly saying. "ONE only."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other before Viper spoke up.

"I'll take... Donald."

Donald's eyes went wide. Tigress and Monkey traded glances. Up above, Axel and Riku each raised one of their eyebrows while trading glances too.

"Very well then." shrugged Sora before sending Donald forward. "Good luck." he told his friend.

"Me?!" Donald squawked. "I've never fought a girl bef-" he argued before Viper slithered around him and whispered into his ear.

"Never underestimate anyone, especially a girl like me or even Tigress. Don't forget, I'm one of the Furious Five, and the daughter of the great Master Viper, which means I'm good at kung fu, viper style. If you ever tease me as a normal girl you'll know what's next."

Donald gulped before nodding.

Viper smiled. "Good."

The two got into positions as Donald summoned his staff.

"Fighter's ready?" asked Shifu.

"Ready." both chorused.

"FIGHT!" shouted Shifu.

Viper slide herself towards Donald, but to her surprise, Donald suddenly vanished. Po, Shifu, Tigress, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey were wide-eyed in shock. Sora and Goofy shared a smirking glance. Riku and Axel did as well.

Donald apparently leaped into the air and landed behind Viper. But since she was a master, Viper was able to sense him, and suddenly leaped towards him. Donald tried to use fire spells, but Viper managed to dodge them easily, and managed to knock him out on the ground.

Donald was dizzy-eyed as he saw stars and birds fly around his head.

"Pretty birdie..." he mumbled.

Viper slithered up and offered him her tail to help him up. "Not bad." she commented.

Donald smiled as he took her tail and she helped her up. "Thanks. You as well." he replied.

* * *

Soon, Po was facing Monkey, who were twirling bamboo staffs. Monkey lunged at Po who took a comical beating. Nearby, Sora sparred with Tigress using his keyblade. Though Tigress was able to get Sora every time, even she had to admit, with our without his keyblade, Sora was actually doing good. But not enough to avoid getting pummeled. He was knocked to the side, defeated. Tigress helped him up without saying a word.

Riku and even Axel couldn't help but chuckle at the scene below them.

"Sora getting beat up by a woman. Reminds me of the aftermath after Demyx accidentally sleepwalked into Larxene's room about a month before Roxas joined." snickered Axel.

Even Riku couldn't help but chuckle at that image. "You should've seen Sora and our friend Tidus after they accidentally sleepwalked into Kairi and Selphie's tent when we were camping on the shore. Wakka got the whole thing on film outside."

Axel tried covering his mouth to hide his laughter, without even questioning why he was feeling emotions when he shouldn't without a heart.

* * *

Later, Po was preparing spar with Crane in the turtle bowl. Po fell in and was tossed around like a sack of soup. Sora, Donald, and Goofy and even Viper, Mantis, and Monkey watched while wincing at the pain. Riku and Axel couldn't help but wince as well while watching through the window.

Crane looked at Shifu, who irritably snapped his fingers.

* * *

Soon, it was dawn. Nearly everyone had fought each other _(except Shifu)_. Sora had faced Monkey _(both were about the same rate)_ and Mantis _(hard to do since he was small, but got through it)_. Donald faced Crane, Monkey, and Tigress, and Goofy fought Viper, Tigress, and Crane.

Riku and Axel had witnessed it all from the hillside. Riku was sitting alone when Axel left for something.

This time, Goofy was fighting with Monkey, and Mantis was fighting with Po.

Goofy tried to use the staff the was Monkey was, but it was easier said than done as Monkey managed to keep smacking him in the face, yet Goofy was able to take it until the monkey master swung the king's captain off his feet with his staff.

Monkey helped Goofy up. "I must say, how are are you able to take such whacking?" he asked, curiously.

Goofy chuckled. "Well, I get bonked on the head all the time. A-hyuck!" he replied.

Monkey nodded and snickered in amusement.

* * *

Above, Riku watched the whole thing when Axel reappeared through a corridor with two bars of sea-salt ice cream.

"Ice cream?" he offered. "Sea-salt is pretty tasty."

Riku shrugged, took a stick of ice cream, and took a bite.

"What I miss?" asked Axel, taking a bite of his ice cream.

"Monkey took down Goofy, and the dog told him that he gets bumped on the head all the time." replied Riku.

Axel snorted in amusement as the two watched the scene play before them.

* * *

Down below, Mantis made Po fall several times on his face. He then rejoined the Five. Shifu seemed satisfied until Po saluted again, surprising everyone. This time, Shifu had had it.

"I've been taking it easy on you, panda, but no more! Your next opponent... will be me." Shifu declared.

"Alright! Let's go!" cheered Po.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, Viper, and even Tigress exchanged worried looks. Riku and Axel did the same on the hill. But at the same time, they felt respect for Po.

Even Tigress couldn't help but admit in her mind, 'He's clumsy, but pretty tough.'

But everyone _(bar Shifu)_ had worried looks since it was Shifu who wanted to be Po's opponent.

"Step forth!" ordered Shifu.

Po hadn't even had one step in before Shifu attacked. The red pandawhirled him around with no effort and and threw him to the floor pinning Po's arm behind him _(Po)_.

"The true path to victory is to find your opponent's weakness and make him _suffer_ for it." said Shifu.

"Oh yeah!" said Po, in pain, but delighted.

"Is he nuts?" Crane asked Sora.

Sora shrugged until Donald spoke up. "Believe us, you've seen _nothing_ yet." That was all he could say as Sora and Goofy nodded in agreement. Crane and Viper traded glances.

"To take his strength and use it against him. _(_ _kicks Po repeatedly in the face, then throwing him to the floor again, and grips Po by the nose.)_ Until he finally falls, or quits." Shifu added.

Words had inspired Po, even though he took what Shifu said the wrong way.

"But a real warrior never quits. Don't worry, Master, I will never quit!" said Po, nasally.

Frustrated, Shifu flung Po into the air and then jumped at him with a flying kick. Po crashed out of the doors and tumbled down the steps, grunting in pain during each bounce. The world-travelers and the Furious Five came out through the doors, watching him fall.

"Ouch..." was all Sora, Donald, and Goofy could say, wincing at the panda's pain.

"If he's smart, he won't come back up those stairs," murmured Tigress.

"But he will." Monkey piped up. Tigress ignored him as the two re-entered through the gates.

"He's not going to quit, is he?" asked Viper.

"He's not gonna quit bouncing, I'll tell you that." joked Mantis, chucking in amusement before Viper hissed at him, sternly.

"He's sure gonna feel sore tomorrow." remarked Goofy, worriedly.

"No worries, I'm a doctor, I can help him." said Mantis.

"You are?" asked Sora.

Mantis nodded. "Yep. Before I became part of the Five."

Nodding, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Viper, and Mantis began to go down the stairs to retrieve Po. Viper turned towards Crane.

"You coming?" she asked.

"No thanks." replied Crane. "You've got more than enough to help him."

Viper nodded before slithering away. Crane then headed back inside.

* * *

Up on the hill, Riku and Axel watched the scene before them.

"Looks like they're starting to take a liking to Po." mused Riku.

"Except Tigress and Shifu." Axel pointed out. He then added thoughtfully, "Took a while before other members like Xigbar, Demyx, and Luxord took a liking to Roxas after I did... before he left us."

"I see." replied Riku. He turned towards the redheaded Nobody. "Keep an eye on my friends, the masters, and the Dragon Warrior. I'm going to sweep the village for any Heartless or Nobodies while Sora, Donald, and Goofy tend to Po, and eventually, deal with Tai Lung. I'll join you later."

Axel nodded as Riku opened a corridor and stepped through. He then watched as Sora, Donald, Goofy, Viper, and Mantis helped Po back into the bunkhouse.

Axel then teleported into the palace, and carefully walked around, trying to avoid being seen.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _ **Rate and review!**_


	5. Chapter 5: Story, Successor, and Supper

Later, Po was in his room. Mantis was helping heal his pain with acupuncture needles to sooth the pain. But the "soothing" was easier said than done.

"OW! I thought you said acupuncture would make me feel _(_ _Mantis insterts a needle)_ _better_!" squeaked Po.

"Trust me it will." promised Mantis. "It's just not easy finding the right nerve points under all this..."

"Fat?" asked Po.

"... _Fur_. I was gonna say fur." replied Mantis.

"Sure you were." Po mumbled, sarcastically as Mantis removed the needle and went to another part of Po's back.

While adjusting another needle and feeling around for any more nerves, he commented, "Who am I to judge a warrior based on his size? I mean... look at me."

Po looked to one side, but Mantis was on the other.

"I'm over here." he said before inserting another needle.

"Ah-HAH!" screeched Po.

"Maybe you should look at this again." said Viper, holding up what looked like a diagram of acupuncture meridians _(onto which someone has overlaid a drawing of a panda)_.

Mantis examined the diagram. "Oh! Ok..."

Just then, Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered the room.

"How's Po doing?" asked Donald.

"A little better. Don't worry." answered Viper with a reassuring smile.

Goofy noticed something on Po's back and his eyes went wide a little.

"Gawrsh Po, you've got something on your..." he began before Mantis quickly made a cutting gesture across his neck with a worried look.

Getting the picture, Sora put his hand over Goofy's mouth.

"What? What's on my... what?" asked Po, concerned.

"Nothing to worry about!" Mantis said quickly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Monkey was meditating in his room, while Po's screams made him scowl in annoyance and tried to cover his ears.

* * *

At the same time, Crane was doing calligraphy, but Po's screaming made him smear his paper.

* * *

Back in Po's room, the panda had settled down while talking to the five in his presence.

"I know Master Shifu's trying to inspire me and all, but if I didn't know any better... I'd say he was trying to get rid of me." remarked Po, chuckling.

Viper & Mantis, and Sora, Donald, & Goofy traded nervous glances before smiling awkwardly at Po.

Po noticed their expressions and his chuckle died down. Mantis then appeared on his shoulder.

"I know he can seem kind of heartless." he began while violently jabbing another needle into Po's skin, making him flinch in pain. "But he wasn't always like that." he added.

"No..." said Po in disbelief.

* * *

Outside in the dark halls, Tigress was walking when she heard the conversation going on inside Po's room. She stopped at looked towards the doors. She didn't even notice a certain redheaded Nobody peak his head out from the entrance to the bunkhouse rooms.

* * *

"According to legend, there was once a time when Master Shifu actually used to _smile_." said Viper.

"Really?" asked Po.

"That guy?" asked Donald, skeptically.

"You're joking right?" asked Sora.

Viper shook her head. "But that was before..." she then hesitated.

"Before what?" asked Sora.

Just then, Tigress entered the room. "Before Tai Lung." she answered.

Then, they all saw Crane's silhouette on the other side of the wall.

" _Uh yeah, we're not really supposed to talk about him."_ he reminded her.

"Well, if they're going to stay here, they should know." retorted Tigress.

"Tai Lung?" asked Goofy.

"Who's he?" asked Sora.

"He was a student." replied Po. "The first ever to master the thousand...scrolls of... kung fu..." He then trailed off as Tigress walked over a little with a piercing stare. "...and... then he turned bad... and... now he's in jail..." he mumbled.

"He wasn't just a student." said Tigress.

* * *

 _Flashback:_

A younger Shifu stepped out of the Training Hall Courtyard and found a baby snow leopard cub on the steps, swaddled in cloth. We hear Tigress speak.

" _Shifu found him as a cub."_

Shifu happily took the cub inside.

* * *

We then see Shifu feed baby Tai Lung, who then rips off the red panda's whiskers.

" _And he raised him as his son."_

* * *

A slightly older Tai Lung approached the training dummy. He kicked it across the floor, and it hit the wall, knocking a spear from the weapons rack. Shifu approached, impressed, and Tai Lung nudged him affectionately.

" _...and when the boy showed talent in kung fu,_ _Shifu trained him. He believed in him. He told him he was destined for greatness."_

Shifu then teaches Tai Lung how to punch.

* * *

We then see him face a wooden soldier.

" _It was never enough for Tai Lung."_

* * *

We then see a fully grown Tai Lung destroy the soldier.

Shifu and even King Mickey are there, looking quite impressed at the display.

" _He wanted the Dragon Scroll. But Oogway saw darkness in his heart and refused."_

We see Oogway with a worried expression on his face. We also see keyblade masters Yen Sid and Eraqus, as well as Ansem the Wise look at Oogway in concern. Master Xehanort is also there, but looks at Tai Lung with an interested expression. (1)

* * *

We then see an enraged Tai Lung rampaging through the village.

" _Outraged, Tai Lung laid waste to the valley."_

* * *

Tai Lung then returned to the Jade Palace and crashed through the doors into the Hall of Warriors, where Shifu and Oogway are waiting for him.

" _He tried to take the scroll by force_ _. And Shifu had to destroy what he had created."_

Shifu leaped at Tai Lung to deliver a kick. However, at the last second he saw only baby Tai Lung running towards him.

" _But how could he?"_

Shifu pulled his kick short. Tai Lung countered with a devastating strike and Shifu crashed to the ground with a broken leg. Tai Lung leaped for the scroll, but Oogway intercepted him with lightning speed strikes at his pressure points. He fell to the ground in a heap. Shifu stared at what had become of his beloved student with sadness and disbelief. He crawled toward Tai Lung, but was ultimately unable to touch him.

" _Shifu loved Tai Lung like he'd never loved anyone before... or since."_

* * *

Some time later, young Tigress in the training hall struck the dummy in the same manner as Tai Lung, but this time, the spear in the reack spun rather than topple. Shifu corrected her form. Nothing more. Young Tigress looked crestfallen.

* * *

The flashback ends as we see present day Tigress' similar crestfallen face. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, Viper, and Mantis are silent. Monkey and Crane are seen peeking through the wall's doors, silent as well.

"Whoa..." mumbled Sora.

"Gawrsh..." muttered Goofy.

"Unbelievable..." gasped Donald.

"And now he has a chance to make things right, to train the true Dragon Warrior. And he's stuck with you... a big, fat panda who treats it like a joke." said Tigress.

Suddenly, Po makes a googly-eyed face and he freezes.

"Doieeeee..."

Everyone _(bar Tigress)_ were wide-eyed at that.

Tigress finally lost her temper. _"Oh, that is it!"_

She raised her fist, as was about to strike Po, but Mantis hopped onto the frozen panda's face.

"WAIT! My fault! I accidentally tweaked his facial nerve." he quickly explained.

Po then fell face-first to the ground, revealing _dozens_ of needles on his back.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Monkey, Crane, and even Viper and Tigress were surprised at the scene.

"And may also have stopped his heart." Mantis added, tentatively poking Po's eye, which twitched.

"That's what I was going to tell him." Goofy piped up.

"You know, I could've just used a cure spell on him." said Donald.

Sora, Goofy, and the Furious Five all looked at Donald with annoyed expressions before saying in unison, "Then why didn't you say so?!"

Donald sweat dropped as he answered, embarrassed, "Must've slipped my mind..." before chuckling nervously.

* * *

Outside the rooms, Axel was listening, and had heard the whole story.

"Whoa..." he whispered. "No wonder Tai Lung is the way is now." he began to walk out of the bunkhouse before adding. " _Almost_ reminds me of Marluxia."

As he exited outside into the night, Axel noticed Zeng fly into the Jade Palace. The Nobody folded his arms.

"Looks like Shifu is in for some bad news." he commented. He then looked out towards the village. "Better find Riku." he told himself before teleporting away.

* * *

Inside the palace, in the Training Hall, Shifu was sitting in meditation, surrounded by candles. His inner turmoil caused him to fidget incessantly.

"Inner peace... inner peace... i-in... in-in...inner peace."

A very faint flapping sound in the distance did not help matters. Eventually, he turned around.

"Would whoever is making that flapping sound, quiet down!" he barked.

Silence.

Satisfied, Shifu returned to meditation.

"Inner..." he began.

 _ **WUMP**_

A goose dropped in from the open ceiling. Scowling, Shifu got up, but smiled when he saw who it was.

"Oh, Zeng. Excellent. I could use some good news right now."

Zeng hesitated. "Uh... well... the thing is Shifu... uh..." the goose mumbled out loud.

* * *

Minutes later, Shifu was rushing up Peach Tree hill. Oogway stood under the tree, slowly performing Tai Chi movements, blossom petals floating elegantly from the branches. He was also talking to Riku.

"Thank you for that notice Riku." thanked Oogway.

"You're welcome." replied Riku, bowing. "I'd better find my... acquaintance before I leave. It was nice seeing you again. And remember, may your heart be your guiding key."

Oogway nodded as Riku exited through another corridor.

"Master! Master!" Shifu called just as soon as the portal disappeared.

"Hmm?" asked Oogway.

"First off... who was that?" panted Shifu.

"Why, our friend Riku. Just giving us some information." replied the wise turtle.

"I see." muttered Shifu before his expression changed to worry. "I have... it's... it's very bad news."

Oogway smiled as he got into a normal standing position. "Ah, Shifu. There is just news. There is no good or bad." Oogway explained before facing his own student.

"Master, your vision...your vision was right! Tai Lung has broken out of prison! He's on his way!" Shifu explained, panicing.

There was a small pause as Oogway blinked in surprise.

"That _is_ bad news." he admitted before adding calmly, "If you do not believe that the Dragon Warrior can stop him."

Shifu blinked in disbelief. "The _panda_? Master, that panda is not the Dragon Warrior. He wasn't even meant to be here... it was an _accident_!" he explained.

Oogway shook his head slightly. "There are no accidents." he reminded.

Shifu sighed. "Yes, I know. You've said that already. Twice."

"Well, that's no accident either." commented Oogway.

Shifu held up three fingers. "Thrice."

"My old friend, the panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours, until you let go of the illusion of control." explained Oogway.

Shifu was confused and incredulous.

" _Illusion?"_ he asked.

"Yes. Look at this tree, Shifu. _(lo_ _oks up at the tree's branches, where blossom petals continued to fall)_ I cannot make it blossom when it suits me, nor make it bear fruit before its time." he explained.

"But there are things we _can_ control!" argued Shifu.

Shifu kicked the tree and a hundred peaches fell to the ground. Oogway gazed at him in silence.

"I can control when the fruit will fall!" said Shifu, just as a peach fell onto his head, making him growl and Oogway chuckle.

"And I can control..." Shifu began before tossing a peach in the air, leaping up, and splitting it with a chop, freeing the seed. "... where to plant the seed... _hi-yah_!"

Shifu punched the ground, creating a small hole. The seed fell into his paw.

"That is no illusion, Master!" he finished before tossing the seed into the hole. Oogway nodded. "Ah, yes. But no matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple, or an orange... but you will get a peach." Shifu was pacing impatiently as he turned towards his master. "But a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung!"

"Maybe it _can_." countered Oogway as he covered the seed with dirt. "If you are willing to guide it, to nurture it. To _believe_ in it."

"But how? _How_ _?_ I need your help, Master." pleaded Shifu.

"No, you just need to believe. _(leans forward towards his friend)_ Promise me, Shifu. Promise me you will believe."

Shifu hesitated. "I... I will try." he finally answered.

"Good." smiled Oogway before looking up at the sky. The petals began rapidly falling from the tree as the wind picked up. "My time has come."

He turned to a confused Shifu as he handed him his staff. "You must continue your journey... without me." he told him.

"What... what, wait... what are you..?" asked Shifu, before his eyes went wide as he knew what was happening. "Master! You can't leave me!" he pleaded.

As Oogway made it to the ledge, he turned to face his old friend. "You have overheard those words, then give the keyblade wielder and his two warrior friends Riku told me about... the message." he told him before saying as he began to glow with a lovely blue light. "You must _believe_."

"Master!" cried Shifu, near tears.

Oogway was engulfed by peach blossoms. As the winds settled, Shifu stood at the edge of the cliff, clutching Oogway's staff, staring after the mass of petals as they floated up into the sky. Oogway was gone.

Once the petals floated away, Shifu looked sadly at Oogway's staff. His heart felt shattered. He then remembered the now late master's words. "'Give the keyblade wielder and his two warrior friends Riku told me about... the message.'"His eyes went wide as he looked back to the bunkhouse. "Could it be... those three?" he asked out loud.

Wasting no time, Shifu ran towards the bunkhouse, unaware that Xemnas - with his hood up - had seen everything from a large nearby rock. He then smirked to himself as he teleported away.

* * *

 _During that time..._

Outside the bunkhouse, we can hear Po's voice.

" _...So I'm like, fine, you may be a wolf..."_

* * *

 _Inside:_

Po was cooking for Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Five, who were all listening to his story with amused skepticism, except Tigress, who simply ignored him.

"...you may be the scariest bandit in Haijin Province... _(chops some radish mid-air and the slices fall into the pot)_ ...but you're a lousy tipper."

" _Really_? So... how'd you get out of there _alive_?" asked Crane, incredulously.

Po suddenly began to falter. "I mean, I didn't actually _say_ that, but I thought it... in... in my mind." he then began to cover. "If he... could read my mind, he'd have been like, 'What?'" he then looked around the cupboards. "Now where is the... oh here it is..."

Crane, Monkey, Mantis, and Viper snickered as they looked at Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Tigress just listened to the conversation.

"So, where exactly do you guys come from?" asked Crane.

"A few different places." replied Sora, half-lying. "We're travelers."

"We're looking for our friends, Riku, Kairi, and his maj-I mean Mickey!" added Donald, quickly trying to to call Mickey by his royal title. "Have you seen them? They're a human boy, a human girl, and a talking mouse."

The Five shook their heads. The travelers sighed.

"Say Sora, that keyblade of yours, what's it do?" asked Viper.

Sora summoned Kingdom Key. "Well, the keyblade's power is still a mystery." he admitted. "But from what I learned, it can release captive hearts, lock and unlock any lock or world's gate." he added solemnly.

"A power greater than the Sword of Heroes?" asked Crane.

"Maybe." Sora shrugged.

"So how'd you get it?" asked Tigress with a raised eyebrow.

Sora shrugged again. "I was just able to summon it one day, and just learned along the way." Then something came to his mind as he then mentioned, "It can also change shape and design for any situation, from what I learned." And to demonstrate, Kingdom Key transformed into Oathkeeper, Oblivion, and Star Seeker.

Mantis gave an impressed whistle. "Amazing." he admitted.

Donald then looked at Tigress. "Say Tigress, is it true that you were adopted by Master Shifu, like Tai Lung?"

Tigress gazed at the mage. "Where did you learn that?" she demanded.

Donald gestured over to the rest of the Five who cringed slightly in fear, while Sora and Goofy traded a nervous glance, and Po continued to cook with a slightly uncomfortable look on his face.

Tigress sighed. "Yes. He took me in from the orphanage after no one else would."

"Say do you guys have families back home?" asked Monkey.

Sora nodded. "Yep. I live with my mom and dad. The same thing with Riku. Kairi, on the other hand, wasn't born there like us, but one day, she just showed up, and the mayor of our town took her in." he replied as he then glanced at Tigress. "Kind of like what Shifu did for you and Tai Lung."

Tigress sighed.

"I have a son back home. His name is Max." said Goofy.

The Five _(even Tigress)_ were taken aback.

"You're a dad?" asked Monkey.

"It's true!" called Po as he began stirring their dinner.

Goofy nodded. "Yep. He's my only offspring." his face then fell slightly. "I've raised him by myself ever since he started school when he was just a little tike."

"By yourself?" asked Crane.

Goofy nodded. "My wife died a long time ago. I was the only parent Max had left." he explained, sniffing a little.

Sora, Po, and the Five gasped softly as Donald looked at Goofy with a sorry look.

"I'm so sorry to hear that Goofy." said Sora, apologetically.

"Us too." added Viper. She then turned to Donald. "What about you Donald? Are you a parent?" she asked.

Donald shook his head. "Nope. But I am an uncle."

"Really?" asked Mantis.

"Yep." nodded Donald. "My twin sister, Della Duck, was married once to another man before he died. But long before that happened, Della had laid three eggs. She was going to have triplets."

"So what happened to her?" asked Po, bringing back some bowls.

Donald sighed. "Well, you see... after our parents died when we were kids, our rich Uncle Scrooge took great care of us. The three of us would go on adventures all the time. And Della was always adventurous. But she always wanted to explore something we had never explored before: outer space."

"Space?! Really?!" asked Po in awe.

"Impossible." scoffed Tigress.

"She's right, there's no possible way to go to space." added Crane.

Donald shook his head.

"You mean there is?" asked Monkey, skeptically.

"Yep, mainly from where me and Donald come from." answered Goofy.

Donald nodded before continuing. "She always wanted to do so, but I was against it because she had triplets on the way. But Uncle Scrooge decided to surprise her by building a transportation to space called a rocket. He named it, the Spear of Selene."

"'Selene?' As in the goddess of the moon?" asked Crane.

"Yep." replied Donald. "He built it as a surprise for Della when the eggs hatched. But my sister was always sneaky, and managed to steal it for a test run. Uncle Scrooge kept in contact with her while she traveled." He paused before his expression saddened. "Until..."

"Until what?" asked Viper, worried.

Donald gulped before explaining. "No one could've predicted that cosmic storm."

Sora, Po, and the Five gasped.

Donald started to tear up a little. "Uncle Scrooge lost contact with Della. He tried all he could to reach her by sending out search parties. But the project became to expensive and nearly left him bankrupt and the board dragged him away. _Literally_. I took it upon myself to raise the triplets by myself once they hatched. I moved out of my uncle's mansion, and into my current home, and once they hatched, I wasn't just their uncle or their legal guardian... I was basically their father figure." he explained before letting his tears flow down.

Sora, Po, and the Five starred at Donald, horrified, before their expressions changed. They couldn't help but feel very sorry for Donald. Goofy put his hand on his friend's shoulder as a sign of comfort.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." said Viper.

"That's so sad." sniffed Crane.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find your sister. Someday." promised Sora.

Donald sniffed. "You think so?" he asked.

Sora nodded. "I guarantee it."

Donald smiled a little.

"What are your nephew's names?" asked Mantis.

"Hubert, Dewford, and Llewellyn. But they go by their nicknames, Huey, Dewey, and Louie." Donald replied, calming down.

"Do you have any pictures... by any chance?" asked Viper.

Donald smiled. "It just so happens that I do." he then reached into his pockets.

Goofy then thought of something. "Hey, I might just have a baby picture of Max."

Soon, Donald and Goofy each brought out a picture. Donald's picture had Huey, Dewey, and Louie a little baby ducklings, and Goofy's had Max as a baby, holding a rattle. They showed them to Sora, Po, and the Five.

"Aww, they're so cute!" cooed Viper.

"Very nice." admitted Crane with a smile.

"Yep, and my nephews are 10 years old now." said Donald, pocketing his picture.

"My Maxie is in college." added Goofy, pocketing his picture.

Just then, Po came up with eight bowls of noodle soup. "Order up!" he called as he gave one to himself and the rest to his friends. "Hope you like it."

"Trust us, you'll love it." said Sora.

Tigress didn't get one because she was satisfied with her plate of tofu.

Those who did have a bowl of noodles started to eat them, and almost immediately, their faces brightened up.

"This is really _good_!" exclaimed Mantis.

"Told ya." smirked Sora.

"No, c'mon. You should try my dad's secret ingredient soup. He actually... _knows_ the secret ingredient." said Po, bashfully.

"What are you talking about? This is amazing." said Viper.

"Wow, you're a really good cook." commented Crane.

"I wish my mouth was bigger." grumbled Mantis.

Monkey turned to Tigress. "Tigress, you've got to try this."

Tigress picked up her plate and picked up a piece of tofu with her chopsticks, ignoring the noodles.

"It is said that the Dragon Warrior can survive for months at a time on nothing but the dew of a single gingko leaf and the energy of the universe." she commented, giving Po a look.

There was an awkward silence as everyone else realized that Po had been put down yet again.

"I guess my body doesn't know it's the Dragon Warrior yet. I'm gonna need a lot more than dew. And, uh, universe juice." said Po before taking a giant gulp from his bowl.

But as he lowered it, everyone noticed that he had a long noodle hanging from his face, making it look like a long mustache.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mantis snickered.

"What?" asked Po.

"Oh, nothing... Master Shifu!" chuckled Mantis.

Viper, Crane, and Monkey couldn't help but join in the laughter.

Po looked at his mustache, and heplayed it up, picking up chopsticks and pretending they were Shifu's staff. He then began to imitate the red panda master.

"You will never be the Dragon Warrior, unless you lose five hundred pounds and brush your teeth!"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey laughed.

"What is that noise you're making? Laughter? I never heard of it! Work hard, Panda. And maybe, someday... _(holds up two empty bowls over his head, making them look like ears)_ ...you'll have ears like mine."

This gag had Sora, Donald, Goofy, Viper, Mantis, Monkey, and Crane in near-hysterics. Even Tigress couldn't help but snicker a little, but quietly. _'Maybe this panda isn't the way I thought he was after all.'_ she thought to herself.

Suddenly, everyone stopped laughing. They saw Shifu behind Po, holing Oogway's staff, and had one heck of a scowl on his face. Po however, didn't notice.

" _(in normal voice)_ Ears. It's not working for you? I thought they were pretty good."

" _It's Shifu!"_ whispered Monkey.

"Of course it's Shifu. What do you think I'm doing?" asked Po, not getting it.

Gaping, Monkey pointed to the left, while Sora, Donald, Goofy, Viper, Crane, and Mantis shifted their eyes in the same direction.

Po turned and finally saw Shifu standing there, doing a slow burn. In mortification and shock, he slapped the bowls to his chest.

"Ooh! Master Shifu! I..." began Po, before slurping up the noodle, while also revealing that the bowls were stuck to his chest, making it look like he was wearing a bra.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey tried not to laugh, the latter trying to cover his mouth.

Shifu was not amused in the slightest. "You think this is funny?! Tai Lung has escaped from prison and you're acting like children!"

"What?" asked Po.

"He is coming for the Dragon Scroll, _(turns to Po)_ and you are the only one who can stop him!"

The bowls fell off, and clattered on the floor. As this sinks in... Po started to laugh.

"And here I am saying you got no sense of humor. I'm gonna... stop Tai Lung..."

Shifu stared at him, deadly serious.

"What, you're _serious_? And I have to... uh... Master Oogway will stop him! He did it before, he'll do it again." protested Po, pointing out that Oogway had stopped the dangerous snow leopard before.

"Oogway cannot!" snapped Shifu before softening his voice while looking at the staff. "Not anymore..." he added, sadly.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Five gasped in horror when they heard that, finally seeing the staff in Shifu's hands.

"Oh no..." gasped Viper.

"He's..." began Donald, shocked.

"Yes..." nodded Shifu. "Our only hope is the Dragon Warrior."

"The _panda_?!" asked Tigress in disbelief.

"Yes, the _panda_!" answered Shifu.

Tigress got up from her seat. "Master _please_! Let us stop Tai Lung, this what you trained us for!"

" _No_!" Shifu argued. "It is not _your_ destiny to defeat Tai Lung! It is _his_!" he then pointed the staff dramatically to where Po was, only yo discover that he was gone.

"Where'd he go?"

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _ **Just to let you know that as we progress through the story, things will take a slightly different turn, with Organization XIII involved. But until then, see you soon!**_

(1) Yes, Shifu, Oogway, and Tai Lung knew King Mickey, Master Yen Sid, Master Eraqus, Master Xehanort, and even Ansem the Wise years ago. They were invited to see Tai Lung's progress to become the Dragon Warrior, but they decided to go with Oogway's decision to not give him that title. Xehanort, on the other hand, like Terra, saw potential of Tai Lung's darkness-filled-heart, but never got around to it because of his plans for the future _(Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep)_.


	6. Chapter 6: Having Faith and Plans

Outside, Po was screaming at the top of his lungs as he ran in panic towards the stairs to run away. But just before he reached them, Shifu suddenly landed in front of him. Po skidded to a stop.

"You cannot leave! A real warrior never quits!" said Shifu.

"Watch me!" scoffed Po.

Po tries to maneuver around Shifu, but wass redirected back.

"Oh come on!" he groaned. "How am I supposed to beat Tai Lung? I can't even beat you to the stairs."

"You will beat him because you are the Dragon Warrior!" said Shifu.

No one noticed Sora, Donald, and Goofy appear outside the palace. And even if Po and Shifu did, they didn't bother to acknowledge them.

"You don't believe that! You never believed that! From the first moment I got here, you've been trying to get rid of me!" yelled Po.

Po attempted to maneuver again, but Shifu swept his legs from under him, causing him to fall on his back. Shifu pointed the staff at his face.

"Yes! I was!" he admitted. "But now I ask you to trust in your master as I have come to trust in mine."

Po frowned heavily. "You're not my master. _(shoves the staff away)_ And I'm not the Dragon Warrior."

"Then why didn't you quit?!" asked Shifu. "You knew I was trying to get rid of you, and yet you stayed!"

"Yeah, I stayed." nodded Po as he got up on his feet. "I stayed because though every time you threw a brick at my head or said I smelled, it hurt..."

Shifu stared.

"...but it could _never_ hurt more than it did every day of my life just being _me_." he finished.

Po paused as Shifu stared, stunned. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were stunned too.

"I stayed because I thought if _anyone_ could change me... could make me... _not_ me, it was _you_! The greatest kung fu teacher in all of China!" added Po.

"But I can change you! I can change you into the Dragon Warrior! And I will!" said Shifu.

"Oh come on! Tai Lung is on his way here right now!" groaned Po. "And even if it takes him a hundred years to get here, how are _you_... gonna change _this_... _(_ _points at himself)_...into the _Dragon Warrior_?! _Huh_?" he asked.

Shifu was about to reply, but he froze, unable to say anything.

"How... _how_?" asked Po.

Shifu closed his mouth, still speechless.

" _HOW_?!" Po asked again.

" _I DON'T KNOW!_ " yelled Shifu. HE then calmed down as he realized what that meant. "I don't know..." he sighed.

Po's anger changed to sadness. "That's what I thought." he sighed.

Po then sadly walked away back to the bunkhouse.

Shifu sighed heavily. He then looked towards Sora, Donald, and Goofy, ushering them over with the staff.

Nervously, the trio approached and stood in front of the red panda.

"So what is your purpose?" asked Shifu.

"Well... we're just here to deal with the Heartless." said Sora.

Shifu shook his head. "It's more than that. You three are from other worlds."

The travelers tensed.

"Wh-Whaddya mean?" asked Goofy, nervously.

"You could fool the panda and my students, but you couldn't fool me. I know about the other worlds. Oogway did as well. We also knew King Mickey, Ansem the Wise, Yen Sid..." he then paused as he shuddered. "...and Xehanort."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy's eyes widened. "You know them?!" asked Sora.

"Yes. Me and Oogway helped protect the order. All in the highest rank of kung fu masters know about it." he replied. He then paused. "We were told about you from someone, but he never mentioned that a keybearer and his two friends were you three."

"Someone told you about us?" asked Donald.

Sora's eyes lit up. "Was it Riku?" he asked.

Shifu knew it was, but like Mickey, he promised Riku he wouldn't say. "I do not know."

Sora sighed.

"What is the bigger purpose for being here, and I don't just mean for getting rid of the Heartless." he asked.

Sora sighed. "We are trying to protect the other worlds from Organization XIII from being casted into darkness, by destroying the Heartless, other dangerous creatures known as Nobodies, and seal this world's keyhole."

Shifu nodded. "I see. As much as I thank you for helping us yesterday, we don't require in this situation with Tai Lung."

"Why?" asked Donald, shocked.

"It's _our_ problem, not yours." answered Shifu. "I'm sorry, but you must leave."

Sora sighed, before an idea formed into his mind. "Can we at least spend the night?"

Shifu sighed. "Very well."

Nodding Sora, Donald, and Goofy started walking back to their rooms, but the keybearer stopped and looked at Shifu. "We can still help if you give us a chance." he offered.

Shifu shook his head. "Like I said, Tai Lung is our problem. And do not fret about this organization. We'll be ok."

Sora sighed as he followed his friends to the bunkhouse, but a smirk crossed his face as he entered the building. He had something else in mind for him and his friends tomorrow.

As Shifu watched Sora become out of sight, he was about to start walking when he heard a familiar voice.

"I doubt Master Oogway would appreciate you having little faith in your students... or your guested.

Shifu softly gasped as he turned around to see... King Mickey!

The mouse was wearing a short-sleeved jacket with white lining, the top half of this jacket being black, while the bottom half was red, and two yellow straps dangling in front of it. He had pants that were red and sported a zipper going down the front of each leg. Each leg also had a yellow pouch with a black strap that partially cover the zipper, as well as a blue strap on the outer side of each pant leg. And finally, he wore very large, yellow shoes with grey backs and two orange, intersecting straps attached to the front of each shoe.

"Y-Your majesty!" exclaimed Shifu, immediately bowing.

Mickey softly chuckled. "Shifu, we've been through this. You can call me Mickey, I'm the one visiting _your_ palace." Shifu looked up confused as Mickey then added, "Yes, I heard about Oogway's time."

Shifu nodded. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at your kingdom with Minnie?" he asked.

"Worlds are in trouble, and I'm trying to help Sora, Donald, and Goofy protect them while also looking for Riku." answered Mickey. He then looked at Shifu with a soft expression, even though he wasn't smiling. "Shifu, can I ask something?"

"Of course." nodded the red panda.

"Why do you doubt your students? I know you believe in the Furious Five, enough for one of the to become the Dragon Warrior, and I know that it isn't their destiny to stop Tai Lung, but why do you still doubt them? And why do you doubt Po as the Dragon Warrior if Shifu sensed it? And why do you doubt Sora, Donald, and Goofy? What i'm trying to ask is, why do you not have any faith in your students" asked Mickey.

Shifu was taken aback by those questions. He then sighed heavily.

"When it came to doubting the panda as he Dragon Warrior, I thought it wasn't meant to be as he never knew kung fu. As for your friends, they don't know kung fu either, and I don't want them to get into trouble with the order if they interfere with our problem. And as for my students... I guess I have little faith in them because... because..." he paused, unable to come up with a good answer.

"Because of Tai Lung?" asked Mickey.

Shifu tensed a little before nodding. "Yes... I don't know how, but I failed with him. The darkness overtook his heart, and I was unable to cure him from it. I guess when it came to the Five... I had trouble adjusting to teaching new members, as they were nothing like... my adopted son."

"And that's a good thing." said Mickey.

Shifu looked at him, confused. "What do you mean, Mickey?" he asked.

Mickey smiled. "Shifu, your students, as well as Po and my friends, are different from Tai Lung in their own way. Remember, before the Five were formed, Crane, Viper, Mantis, and Monkey knew nothing about kung fu like Tigress did, but they learned their own way. Mantis learned patience, Viper learned courage, Crane learned confidence, Tigress learned discipline, and Monkey learned compassion. That was what turned them into great kung fu masters. I know it's not their destiny to deal with Tai Lung, but that's ok. As for Po, you shouldn't doubt him either. Sure he may be, big, slightly clumsy, and a little chubby, but he has a good heart. He may be nothing like the Five, but that's a good thing as well. Like the Five, he has a good heart, and he needs to learn how to be the Dragon Warrior in his own unique way. And finally, you shouldn't doubt my friends either. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are tough fighters. They protected the darkness from overtaking many worlds, fought to save their friends, defeated dangerous enemies, and stood by each other. I know you don't want them to interfere with your problem, but like Po, you need to learn to trust others outside the palace walls. Oogway would want you to. If you have faith in them, you'd be surprised with what they can accomplish."

Shifu stared at Mickey in shock at his words.

"If you have more faith in your students, having knowledge of kung fu or not, then things _will_ turn out better. Even if they don't go according to plan, it's still best to keep the faith. No matter _who_ they are, have faith for them in your heart." finished Mickey.

Shifu blinked in surprise before smiling slightly. "Th-Thank you... Mickey. I-I'll think about it." he thanked.

Mickey smiled. "I know ya will."

"I hope you find your friend." said Shifu.

"I know I will. And as for Sora, Donald, and Goofy, we'll meet again when the time is right. And I know they can take care of themselves, as well as this world. Right now, I must go."

He began to walk away, but them stopped as he pulled out a star-shaped device. As he entered something in, he looked towards Shifu.

"Hand this to Sora. I have a feeling he'll need it later." he said. And as he tossed it towards Shifu, he turned into a star and flew away towards another world.

Shifu caught the star-shard. He looked at it for a moment, before walking away, Mickey's words going through his head.

* * *

As Shifu walked away, he didn't notice Tigress on a village house roof. She had heard _everything_. She looked away, before leaping to another roof, _very_ far away. She looked at the horizon, and then back at the palace.

"I want to help. This is what you trained me for." she muttered.

She then took off across the rooftops. Suddenly, she spotted the rest of the Five following her. They had suspected she'd do this.

"Tigress!" shouted Viper.

"Don't try and stop me!" said Tigress.

"We're not trying to stop you!" said Viper.

"What?" asked Tigress, surprised.

"We're coming with you!" said Viper.

As the other caught up to the two girls, Monkey gave a thumbs up towards his feline friend.

Tigress smiled slightly. "Thank you..."

As they neared the village gates, none noticed Riku and Axel watching them on a hillside. The readhead turned towards Riku.

"You were right. They were gonna go and fight Tai Lung." commented Axel. He then smirked. "You know what to do."

Riku nodded as he teleported away.

* * *

At the gates, the Five were about to go through, when they skidded to a stop when Riku appeared.

"What in the name of..." stuttered Crane in surprise.

"What do you want?" asked Tigress firmly.

"You don't know what you're getting yourselves into." said Riku before smirking. "If you wanna get through these doors, you'll have to get past me."

Mantis scoffed. "Sorry buddy, we don't have time for this."

Riku chuckled. "Really? Then what are you? Chickens?" he asked, pushing his luck/

The Five galred.

"That's it." growled Tigress.

She tried to punch Riku, but surprisingly, he manged to move to slide fast enough to avoid it.

"What?" gasped Tigress.

Crane charged towards Riku, only for him to leap over the bird.

Monkey tried to charge at Riku as well, but the keyblade wielder was able to grab one of Monkey's legs, and swing him into Crane.

Viper tied herself around Riku, but he manged to escape through a corridor, which disappeared before Viper could go through it, making her land on the ground.

Finally, Mantis tried to attack Riku when he reappeared through another corridor, but the teen managed to swipe the insect away.

Tigress tried again to attack, but Riku grabbed her fist, and flung her into her teammates.

The Five got up, ready to attack again. But to their surprise, Riku clapped softly.

"You've impressed me enough." he commented before opening one of the gates. "You may pass, but you still don't know what you're getting yourselves into."

"Ok?" said Viper, confused.

Riku then opened another corridor. HE was about to disappear through it when Tigress called.

"WAIT! Who are you?" she asked.

Riku looked back at the Furious Five before smiling. "A friend. Someone you _can_ trust." And he said no more as he disappeared.

The Five stared in confusion before exiting the village through the gate.

* * *

Riku appeared next to Axel on the hillside.

"They wouldn't listen to reason. So I decided we should go to Plan B." Riku explained.

Axel nodded. "Very well. See you around. I'll be sure to give Sora the message when the time's right. For now, I think I'll spend the night close to the palace."

Riku nodded. "Good. With that said, I must find out where they'll encounter Tai Lung." he then opened another corridor.

Axel then thought of something. "Wait!"

Riku stopped and turned around.

"I'm sorry for what I did to Kairi." Axel apologized, rubbing the back of his neck.

Riku smiled. "I already forgave you. You helping me was enough." He then added, "The person you have to _really_ apologize to is Sora."

Axel smirked slightly. "I will." he then opened a corridor and stepped through it.

Riku watched as the corridor disappeared, before entering the one he made to track down the Furious Five.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _ **Rate and review! And I hope you liked Mickey's surprise appearance!**_


	7. Chapter 7: The Real Training

_**The real training begins! And also, I've recently gone back to school, so updating will be longer in waiting until I have a day off, half-day, or Spring Break. And please bear with me for the stuff I'm making the Kingdom Hearts characters do while training, I tried to think of good tactics. But for now, enjoy!**_

* * *

Sunrise drew over the Valley of Peace as Shifu sat under the Sacred Peach Tree, clutching Oogway's staff, thinking about both his master and Mickey's words from last night. As he was deep in thought, he thought he heard some noises come from the Training Hall.

* * *

After dropping off Oogway's staff in the palace, Shifu went to the Training Hall. As he opened the doors, he was surprised to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy in there, using the equipment.

Sora was pretending to fight the dummy, but with his fists instead of his keyblade. After knocking it a against the fall, making the weapons on the wall fall over, he leaped into the spiked tether ball ring, dodging them with ease, and using his keyblade to hit the spikes, shouting the names of his enemies.

"Take that Ansem! You as well Xemnas! Eat keyblade power Maleficent! Hurt my friends, and you'll know what's next!"

Donald was leaping across the jade turtle bowl, doing flips in the process. He then used his staff to defend himself from oncoming knifes. He then jumped towards the seven-talon rings, swining across them, then dove through one of the holes, and landed safely on the ground with ease.

"Ha ha!" he chuckled.

And finally, Goofy was trying to dodge the flames on the Field of Fiery Death. Surprisingly, he was able to dodge them, and leaped over one flame before it went fully high. After leaping from it, Goofy made his way to the wooden soldiers and did his best to punch them and duck from the arms anytime.

Shifu stared in shock.

Sora then leaped from the tether spikes and dusted himself off. "Alright guys! I think that's good for today."

"Ok!" said Donald.

"You got it!" said Goofy in agreement.

"Alright then, better do some Heartless searching, just in case." suggested Sora.

Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement. But just as then turned towards the exit, they jumped when they noticed Shifu.

"Oh! Master Shifu!" exclaimed Sora. "H-How long were you standing there?" he asked, sheepishly.

"Not long." replied Shifu. He paused slightly before asking, "How long have you been here, and why?"

"Only a couple of hours." replied Goofy.

"We were trying to practice kung fu cause we wanted to help." added Donald.

"It was my idea." said Sora, hanging his head slightly. "I know you want us out of this world, as Tai Lung is your problem but..."

Shifu then held up his hand. "Say no more."

The trio were really taken aback.

Shifu smiled slightly. "I had a bit of thinking to do last night. And I see that you seem to want to learn kung fu."

Sora rubbed the back of his neck. "Well yeah... I mean, I know that I have a keyblade, Donald has a staff, and Goofy has a shield, but we can't rely on our weapons all the time. I guess we could use an increase in skill."

Shifu nodded before asking, "Where's the panda?"

The trio shrugged.

"Haven't seen him since last night." answered Donald.

Shifu nodded, but then, something caught their hearing. It sounded like yelling.

The four walked outside the Training Hall, and noticed that the sound was coming from the bunkhouse.

* * *

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Shifu entered the bunkhouse, and made their way towards the kitchen, where they heard Po yell. They entered the kitchen, and were immediately surprised to see the doors busted down, and Po doing some amazing kung fu on a cabinet. He punched through it, bringing out food, and stuffed his face. He stopped mid-much when he saw Shifu, Sora, Donald, and Goofy there, right in front of him.

The four looked around the kitchen in shock.

"He managed to knock down both doors." said Goofy.

"And busted all the cabinets with one punch." added Donald.

The four looked back at Po.

"What? I eat when I'm upset, ok?" asked Po with his mouth full, annoyed.

Shifu suddenly had a glimmer in his eye. He had an idea. "Oh, no need to explain. I just thought you might be monkey. He hides his almond cookies on the top shelf." He then gestured Sora, Donald, and Goofy to follow him. Shrugging, the three obliged.

As Shifu exited the kitchen, he stopped, and hid against the wall to see if his hunch was correct. He gestured the three travelers to stand away from the door. Confused expressions crossed Sora, Donald, and Goofy's faces as they moved aside.

In the kitchen, Po looked at the shelf, then smiled excitedly as he then scurried to the side.

 _ **KLOMP! KLUNK! THONK!**_

Shifu then ushered the three to follow him back inside the kitchen, where to their surprise, found Po perched atop the high shelves, jamming cookies from a jar into his mouth, his legs in a split. Shifu's disbelief turned into a wise smile. Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared, both shocked, and slightly impressed at the scene Po managed to display.

Po then stopped eating when he noticed them. "Don't tell Monkey." he pleaded.

"Look at you..." exclaimed Shifu.

"Yeah I know, I disgust you." sighed Po, resuming eating.

"No! I mean, how did you get up there?" asked Shifu.

"I don't know. I guess I — I don't know. I was getting a cookie..." shrugged Po, before eating another one.

"You're like, ten feet off the ground." commented Sora, impressed.

"And have done a _perfect_ split." added Shifu.

"No, this... this is just an... _(his eyes widened as he began to slip)_ accident." muttered Po.

Suddenly, with a _WHOOMP_ , Po slipped and crashed onto the floor. Immediately, Sora, Donald, and Goofy rushed to his aide. A cookie rolled over to Shifu, who picked it up.

"There are no accidents." he said wisely. Gesturing with the cookie in his hand, he told them, "Come with me you four."

The four friends stared at Shifu in confusion.

* * *

Soon, high in the mountains, the five were walking along. Shifu led the way, followed by Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who were worn out, especially Po since he was carrying a heavy backpack.

"I know you're trying to be all mystical and kung fu-ey, but could you at least tell us where we're going?" panted Po.

"Mysterious walk. Just like after we were separate from our friends before Castle Oblivion." Sora muttered to his friends, who nodded.

* * *

Later, in a misty place, Sora, Po, Donald, and Goofy collapsed near a lake. Shifu was sitting on a rock in a meditating position, eyes closed.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy sat in a three-way back-to-back position with each other, catching their breath while Po approached the lake.

"You... dragged me... all the way out here... for a _bath_?!" panted Po, using the water to wash his pits.

Shifu didn't open his eyes as he spoke. "Panda, we do not wash our pits in The Pool of Sacred Tears."

Po quickly stopped. "The pool of..." he asked in slight shock.

"Sacred Tears?" asked Sora, getting up as he, Donald, and Goofy joined Po.

Shifu walked towards the four as the mist began to clear.

"This is where Oogway unravelled the mysteries of harmony and focus. This is the birthplace... of kung fu." explained Shifu, solemnly.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Po gasped as the sun was shown on a rock in the formation of a yin yang symbol.

Shifu leaped onto the rock and looked down at the four. "Do you want to learn kung fu?" he asked, sincerely.

"Yeah..." said Po, awestruck.

"Defiantly!" agreed Sora.

"Of course! A-hyuck!" added Goofy.

"You bet!" finished Donald.

"Then I am... your... _master_!" replied Shifu.

"OK!" everyone replied. Sora, Donald, and Goofy high-fived each other while tears of joy came into Po's eyes.

"Don't cry." warned Shifu.

"Ok..." sniffed Po.

* * *

Later, Axel was wandering through the valley, looking for Sora, Donald, and Goofy. He hadn't seen them since they left with Po and Shifu.

"What a drag." he grumbled. "Where in Kingdom Hearts could they be? Man this place is so confusing."

As he approached another mountain top, he spotted Shifu talking to Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Po in a field of grass. Noticing a tree, Axel hid behind it.

"Wonder what they're doing out here." he mumbled out loud, as he listened in.

* * *

 _Down below..._

"When the four of you focus on kung fu... when you concentrate... the three of you need _more_ work, and panda... you stink." said Shifu, honestly.

The four's faces fell.

"But perhaps that is my fault." admitted Shifu.

The four looked at him.

"I cannot train you four, the way I have trained the Five." he added. He then smiled a little. "For Sora, Donald, and Goofy, your motivation to find and protect your friends seems to help you. And as for you panda, I now see that the way to get through to you... is with this." he then pulled out a bowl of dumplings from behind his back.

"Oh great 'cause I'm hungry!" said Po.

"We could eat too." said Goofy. Sora and Donald nodded in agreement.

Shifu smiled. "Good. When the four of you have been trained... you may eat." He then ate a dumpling as he walked out. "Let us begin."

Sighing in annoyance, Sora, Po, Donald, and Goofy followed the red panda.

* * *

Up above, Axel watched the scene.

"A kung fu lesson, this I've gotta see." he then smirked as he joked, "And who knows? Maybe _I'll_ learn a thing or two. Wouldn't hurt to try."

He then followed the five to watch the lesson.

* * *

 _Sora, Po, Donald, and Goofy's lesson over the next several days_ (Axel's too) _:_

Po was doing sit ups while dangling on a tree branch by his legs, a long drop below him and Shifu was standing with a bowl of dumplings above. The branch snapped partially. Po nearly fell but managed to rescue the dumplings... only for the branch to break and Po fell out of sight, while Shifu rescued the dumplings himself.

Same day, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were being motivated by Shifu holding a Chinese-drawn picture of Riku, Kairi, and Mickey, making them chase him while jumping over small stones to large ones to increase the strength in their leg muscles. Though eventually, they all landed roughly on the rocks.

Up in the mountains _(during the night)_ , Axel was practicing the same things by doing sit ups on a tree branch and jumping over more stones, only to not watch where he's going, and ram into a mountain wall.

Later, in a clearing, Shifu gave Po a bowl, but seconds later attacked him with a staff. Po managed to fend him off for three seconds before Shifu smashed the bowl.

During that time, Shifu presented three rocks with drawn pictures of the traveler's friends on them, along with fake three fake dummies to represent the enemies. Sora managed to punch one in the face, jump and then kick the second, and although he uppercutted the third, landed flat on his back. Donald tried the same thing, but while succeeding in the punching part, while lunging for the second dummy, he ended up flying into a wall, flat against his face. Goofy tried to punch the first dummy in the face with a back hand strike, but his hand slipped against the dummy, and he ended up punching himself in the face.

Axel tried to do the same procedure to some fake enemies made out of logs. And he managed to get the hang of it.

Later, in the grass field, Po lunged at Shifu for an elusive dumpling which the master kept tossing out of his reach.

Sora was practicing spinning his keyblade like a bow staff, and was getting the hang of it. Donald struggled a little with his staff, but got the hang of it. Goofy was practicing with a large piece of bamboo, and although it kept smacking him in the face, he started to get the hang of it.

Axel practiced with a bamboo staff of his own, and even lit the ends on fire, and was able to get the hang of it while surprisingly, not setting anything on fire.

Then Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were forced to do push ups, each above a bed of hot coals while the panda was attempting to reach a bowl of food with his tongue each time he lowered himself.

Then Po, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Shifu were standing on rocks while Po was balancing several bowls of soup on his body. Sora did the same thing with large rocks, Donald with large logs, and Goofy with bricks. No noticed Axel on the ledge behind them, doing the same thing. Like Donald, he had two logs, but they were on fire.

Back in the clearing, Po snuck towards a large pot. Shifu was nowhere in sight. Just as Po reached into the pot with a bowl, Shifu leaped out of nowhere and attacked him with his staff. Po manages to block Shifu several times, but was unable to stop him from smacking the bowl from his paws. Balancing on the pot with his staff, Shifu proceeded to slurp the soup. Po tried to knock the staff from under him, but it smacked his nose and returned to its position.

Sora manged to expect Donald and Goofy in a sneak attack, flipping them over his shoulder. Goofy did the same thing, and even managed to do so without flipping himself with them. Heck, even Donald was strong enough to flip them himself, which meant that progress in the three of themselves was making itself known.

As the training progressed, the four friends _(Axel too)_ were starting to improve _a lot_ , and were just as good as Shifu. Soon, the five were on stone ledges, the panda and travelers managing to copy Shifu's moves perfectly as fireflies clew around them. Axel was getting the hang of it too as he did the same on the mountain ledge.

Later, in a five-way pattern, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, and Shifu were doing push ups with one finger on each hand as they went down. The pain was minimal for the one's new to kung fu, but they ignored it. Axel did the same on the ledge, with a determined look on his face.

Soon, Shifu was testing their defense skill as one at a time, he attacked the four friends with his staff, and they were able to block the attacks easily. And later, they sparred, all two facing each other at different times.

Soon, Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy did some amazing kung fu moves on their own ledges and all stopped in the same cool pose. Axel did the same, before wiping the sweat from his forehead.

* * *

A few days later, Shifu set a bowl of dumplings and two empty bowls on a boulder. He picked up a pair of chopsticks.

"After you four." he said.

Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy approached with suspicion.

"That's it?" asked Sora, quirking an eyebrow.

"No sit ups?" asked Donald.

"No sneak attacks?" asked Goofy.

"No ten-mile hike?" asked Po.

"I vowed to train the four of you, and you have been trained. You are free to eat." Shifu insisted.

Still suspicious, the four friends sat across from Shifu at the boulder, grabbed some chopsticks, and each picked up a dumpling.

"Enjoy." smiled the red panda.

But before they could...

 _WHOOSH_

From out of nowhere, Shifu zipped by, took they dumplings out of their chopsticks and quickly ate them.

"What the..." began Sora, confused.

"Huh?" asked Donald.

Shifu looked at them innocently. "I said you are free to eat. Have a dumpling."

Still with suspicious looks, the four each grabbed a dumpling. But then, Shifu kicked each of them out of their chopsticks, caught them, and each time, ate them before he caught the next.

 _'What is he, a black hole?'_ thought Sora.

Po scowled. The panda and red panda glared at each other. It was on now.

"You are free to _eat_." said Shifu.

" _Are we?!"_ asked Po.

" _Are you?!"_ challenged Shifu.

Sora nudged Po. "You got this!" he whispered.

Po smirked at Sora before turning to their master again.

Po and Shifu readied their chopsticks. Po slammed the table and sent the bowl of dumplings airborne. Shifu jumped up and ate all of them except one.

"Seriously, is he a black hole or something?" Sora whispered to his friends as they watched. Donald and Goofy only shrugged.

Back and forth, Po and Shifu sparred, vying for the dumpling. Until there was only one, Shifu tried every trick to keep the dumpling away from Po. He hid it underneath one of the bowls. As Shifu put the other two bowls down, he turned the array of overturned bowls into a shell game, sliding the bowls around at top speed to hide the dumpling. When Shifu finished his hiding, Po found the right bowl.

"WHOO!" cheered Po.

Shifu used his chopsticks as weapons to smack Po's chopsticks away, and then smacked the dumpling away. Po ran after it. Smiling, Shifu grabbed his staff and attacked Po with it. But Po skillfully managed to best Shifu for the final dumpling, using his belly to bounce the dumpling away from Shifu and nabbed it in his chopsticks.

Shifu, Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared in awe at the panda as the latter three approached the two residents of their home world.

Shifu smiled. Po had passed his final test.

"Nice job Po!" congratulated Sora.

Po smiled in thanks.

Shifu gestured silently... telling Po he was free to eat. But then Po tossed the dumpling into Shifu's open paw. Shifu looked up at him, surprised. Even Sora and Co. were surprised.

"I'm not hungry." said Po.

Shifu smiled as he tossed the dumpling, amazingly, back into the bowl.

"Master." Po added as the two saluted and bowed.

Shifu then turned to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "I wasn't sure what to make your final test..." he began.

Suddenly, a bunch of Heartless appeared out of nowhere.

"Heartless?!" gasped Sora.

"Oh come on!" groaned Donald. "Things were more peaceful!"

Shifu's face turned from surprised to serious as he gestured to an also surprised Po to follow him. The two stood on the boulder. Po looked at Shifu confused until he saw the red panda's smile. Po nodded. _This_ was the test Shifu needed for his other three students.

Not noticing the two animals stand to the side to let the travelers do their job, Sora summoned Kingdom Key, Donald summoned his staff, and Goofy summoned his shield.

 _(Sephiroh Boss Fight from Kingdom Hearts II plays)_

 _Mission: Destroy the Heartless. New kung fu moves added!_

 _Party members:  
Sora_

 _Donald Duck_

 _Goofy_

The fight was on. Sora, spun his keyblade around like a bow staff, and managed to whack several Heartless down. The then used the front of his keyblade to stab another. Then, he flipped over another three, and as he landed, blasted light towards the creatures, destroying them. And before releasing their captive hearts on some more, Sora punched and kicked several Heartless. And luckily, his clothes protected him.

Donald spun his staff too, whack any heartless when he had the chance. He jumped over a group of Heartless, and at different angles, struck them with both edges of his staff. The feathered mage manged to uppercut a few into the air before casting them with lightning spells. Donald then flipped several Heartless over his shoulders smack onto the ground before casting more lighting spells.

Goofy spun the round part of his shield on his finger in perfect balance before flinging it around a bunch of Heartless. One it returned, he punched and kicked a bunch more Heartless. He then sweep-kicked some that came from behind him. Goofy then managed to strike some with a palm-heal strike.

Eventually, all the Heartless were defeated... until a giant Storm Rider appeared. Sora turned to Goofy, who nodded, and after grabbing his hand, the king's captain disappeared, and Sora was in his red Valor Form. He charged at the Storm Rider, leaped into the air, and used Sonic Strike to destroy the Heartless.

 _(Sephiroh Boss Fight from Kingdom Hearts II ends)_

With the Heartless vanquished, and Sora back to his normal attire with Goofy reappearing, the two along with Donald approached Shifu and Po.

"Now, before we were so rudely interrupted, you were saying Master Shifu?" asked Sora.

"Yeah, about _our_ final test?" asked Donald.

Shifu smiled. "That fight and victory against the Heartless, with magical weapons _and_ kung fu together, was good enough."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared in shock.

"You mean..." began Goofy.

Shifu nodded. "You _all_ pass as kung fu _masters_."

"Congrats guys!" cheered Po.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy couldn't believe their ears. First honorary members in the Radient Garden Restoration Committee, then soldiers in The Land of the Dragons, then Pirates in Port Royal, then True Heroes in Olympus Coliseum, and now kung fu masters of all things!

With excited smiles, the three said simultaneously, "Thank you... master." before bowing and saluting in respect.

Shifu and Po smiled as they too saluted and bowed.

* * *

Up on the ledge, Axel had witnessed everything as he watched the five masters, one old and four new leave back to the Jade Palace. He too had learned a lot during the past couple of days.

"Man, what a work out." admitted, eating a bar of sea-salt ice cream he had gotten during the Heartless battle. "Who knew kung fu would be this fun." he then smirked. "And now Sora, Donald, and Goofy are masters too." he then chuckled at what Riku would think when he heard Sora and his friends were kung fu masters, before gasping softly in confusion, putting his hand to his chest. He then shrugged it off as he opened a corridor towards the Jade Palace to wait for their return. As he walked through it, he couldn't help but say out loud, "Wonder how Riku and the Furious Five are doin.'"

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _I **n the next chapter, we'll see the Five battle Tai Lung. But at the end, expect the unexpected! Rate and review, and I'll upload when I can!**_


	8. Chapter 8: Captured!

At the Castle That Never Was, in the throne room, Xemnas, Xigbar, Saïx, and Luxord sat to another brief meeting.

"So the fat panda, the so-called Dragon Warrior was finally learned kung fu." murmured Luxord.

"So have Sora and his friends. Not that it'll help them with our plans for the Valley of Peace." smirked Xigbar.

"Indeed. And with Oogway gone, we have a clear shot at claiming the world and it's residents." added Xemnas.

"And some of those said residents are about to meet their match with our newest ally." said Saïx.

"Yes." nodded Xemnas. "Soon, the Furious Five will be ours." he then leaned in slightly. "Be ready." he told his remaining members.

The three remaining members nodded as they teleported away.

Xemnas looked around at the empty seats and he looked towards Axel's and Roxas'.

"Such a pity that the keybearer and his so-called best friend had to betray us. But when our plan is complete, they will meet their fates along with everyone else. Just as they should've deserved for betraying us in the first place." Xemnas then smirked darkly as he teleported away.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Five raced towards the Thread of Hope, a rope bridge stretched between mountain peaks above a huge abyss shrouded in mist. Tai Lung was racing across the long bridge. Both sides stopped at opposite ends of the last section of bridge, and eye each other. Tai Lung roared and raceds across the bridge towards the Five.

"Cut it!" shouted Tigress.

Crane, Viper, Mantis, and Monkey quickly slashed at the ropes securing the bridge to the mountain. Tai Lung was almost upon them when Tigress cut the final rope. But because the snow leopard was too close, Tigress had to launch herself into him, kicking him back. The two felines ended up in the middle of the bridge just as it started to tumble into the canyon below. The rest of the Five grabbed the support ropes and held on for dear life. While Tigress maintained a combative pose, Tai Lung casually leaned on one of the ropes.

"Where's the Dragon Warrior?" he asked, casually.

"How do you know you're not looking at her?" Tigress shot back.

Tai Lung laughed. "You think I'm a fool? I know you're not the Dragon Warrior. _None_ of you!"

Tigress growled that her bluff was foiled. The others exchanged worried looks. Tai Lung began to walk along the rope before leaping back onto the bridge.

"I heard how he fell out of the sky on a ball of fire... that he's a warrior unlike anything the world has ever seen. And how he's also friends with a human, an duck, and a dog that interfere with my new allies' plans."

Monkey, Crane, Viper, and Mantis exchanged quick and confused look.

 _"Po?!"_ asked Monkey, shocked.

 _"Sora, Donald, and Goofy too?!"_ asked Viper, also shocked.

 _"_ How does he know about them?!" exclaimed Crane.

"And who are his new allies?" asked Mantis.

"So that is his name... _Po_." mused Tai Lung. "And those are the pathetic names of those whom he calls his friends." He paused as he smirked and said dramatically, "Finally, a worthy opponent. Our battle will be _legendary_!"

Growling, Tigress charged at him. The battle began. Tigress and Tai Lung exchanged blows as they hung from the bridge. Tigress put up a very good fight, but soon Tai Lung began to get the upper hand.

"We got this! Help her!" Monkey told Viper and Crane, who nodded and handed over their ropes.

Tai Lung kicked Tigress, sending her slamming through dozens of board before stopping. While she was stunned, Tai Lung grabbed the ropes and twisted them. The ropes closed on Tigress's throat and she began to choke. At that moment, Viper lunged at Tai Lung, which caused him to let go of the ropes. Tigress was freed, but began falling down into the gorge... but Crane managed to catch her. Viper wrapped herself around Tai Lung's neck and wrist and punched him repeatedly with his own fist. But Tai Lung managed to get a paw around Viper's 'throat'.

"Monkey!" cried Viper, choking.

Monkey looked at Mantis who told him, "Go!"

Nodding, Monkey handed Mantis his rope, leaving Mantis to hold onto the whole bridge. Realizing his mistake, Mantis muttered, straining, "Ack! What was I thinking?!"

Monkey leaped into action, kicking Tai Lung in the chest away from Viper and sending him crashing onto the slats. Mantis groaned as he fought to keep a hold of the ropes. Tai Lung got back onto his feet and started running back to them, switching between ropes. Crane flied up with Tigress dangling from his legs.

"Mantis!" she shouted.

Mantis whipped his end of the rope, sending a sine wave shooting toward Tai Lung. The rope whipped the villain in the face, making him stunned. The Five sw their chance.

"Now!" shouted Tigress.

The others yelled in a battle cry as they charged towards Tai Lung.

Working as a team, the Five kick Tai Lung's butt every which way. Then Crane wrapped Tai Lung in one of the ropes, and Tigress finally slashed the last rope holding him up.

He plummeted down... down... disappearing into the mist. A distant crunch implied that he has crashed into the far mountain.

Mantis whipped his end of the rope, returning his buddies safely to the mountain.

The Five look breathless, but relieved. But the relief is short-lived, as Tigress noticed that the other end of the bridge was circling the far mountain peak. Her eyes went wide with dread. The rope whipped up. But Tai Lung wasn't there. With a crash, he suddenly appeared behind the Five. They whirled around, startled.

Tai Lung looked at them as a small aura of darkness briefly seeped around him. "Shifu taught you well..." he mused, before suddenly striking Monkey in the chest, who instantly froze and collapsed. Tigress, Crane, Viper, and Mantis gasped in horror.

"...but he didn't teach you everything." Tai Lung finished darkly before roaring as he lunged forward, doing the same thing to the rest, paralyzing them.

Tai Lung smirked at his accomplishment. He then called out, "Organization XII! The Furious Five have been defeated! Come and claim your prizes!"

And as if on cue, Xigbar, Saïx, and Luxord appeared on the other side of the snow leopard.

"Bravo Tai Lung!" Xigbar cheered darkly. "I just don't see why that old coot of a turtle could never make you the Dragon Warrior, you defeated 5 of the most strongest masters of all in this world."

"We'll take them from here." said Luxord. "You can go back to your journey."

Saïx then approached the snow leopard. "And there is something you must know."

"What?" asked Tai Lung, quirking an eyebrow.

"The Dragon Warrior has mastered kung fu, along with the keybearer and his friends." answered Saïx. Capture the Warrior, and your master, and have them delivered to us. Then, kill the duck and dog. And once that is done, summon as much Heartless as you can against Sora, so he can continue to unwittingly help Xemnas' plan. Then we'll deal with him." he added.

"Done." nodded Tai Lung as he then rushed away.

The Organization looked back at the paralyzed masters.

"Open up a corridor, and we'll RTC with them." said Saïx.

"Done." said Xigbar, opening up a corridor. He then picked up Crane over his shoulders.

As Luxord picked up Viper and Mantis in each of his hands, Saïx picked up Tigress over his shoulder muttering darkly, "Let's go... _monster_."

The three then stepped through the corridor. None of them noticed Riku leap from the mountain ledge, landed next to Monkey, and pick up the master Tai Lung defeated first and held him over his shoulders.

"Don't worry, you're gonna be ok." Riku whispered to the fallen master.

Just then, Xigbar exited the corridor, and was surprised to see another person wearing an Organization cloak.

"Wait! Who are you?!" he demanded.

Riku said nothing as he summoned Way to Dawn with his free hand, just as Saïx and Luxord emerged from behind the Organization's No. 2.

"Xigbar, what are you..." began Saïx before he noticed Riku and glared. "You!"

Riku smirked under his hood. "Nice to see you too, Saïx."

"Riku!" snarled Luxord as he summoned his cards.

"Hand over our prisoner!" demanded Saïx as he summoned his claymore.

Riku glared. "Monkey is not your prisoner!"

Xigbar summoned his Arrowguns. "Don't make a mistake you'll regret!" he teased.

"Why are you even here?" demanded Saïx.

"Shouldn't you be watching over your pathetic friends?" asked Luxord.

"I'm helping them by not letting you take away their friends. I can't save the others, but I can save Monkey from the likes of you!" retorted Riku.

"Over our dead bodies you will!" snarled Luxord.

Riku smirked as he summoned another corridor with his hand held Monkey over his shoulder before leaping backwards through it, taking the fallen master with him.

Xigbar and Luxord charged towards the corridor, only for it to disappear.

"Rats!" growled Xigbar.

"We'd better find him!" said Luxord.

Saïx shook his head as he dismissed his weapon. "Don't bother."

The Organization's No.'s 2 and 9 looked at the blue-haired Nobody as if he was crazy.

"We got most of the Five. And I can sense that eventually, we will have Master Monkey, the Dragon Warrior, the keybearer, and the king's captain and mage."

"What make's you so sure?" asked Xigbar, quirking an eyebrow as he and Luxord dismissed their weapons.

Saix smirked a little. "Because... I can sense a certain traitor is here. And once Monkey tells everyone what has happened..." he paused as his smirk darkened. "... then they'll walk into our trap."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Jade Palace courtyard, Sora, Po, Shifu, Donald, and Goofy appeared through the doors. They had finally returned from their lesson. Now, Sora, Po, Donald, and Goofy were real kung fu masters.

"You have done well, the four of you." praised Shifu.

"Done well? Done well?! We've done awesome!" exclaimed Po as he swung his belly around and knocked Shifu off balance, though he quickly regained his dignity.

"The mark of a true hero is humility. But yes...you have done... _(playfully punches Po in the side hard enough for him to stagger)_...awesome." Shifu replied.

Everyone laughed as they stopped in the courtyard. None of them noticed Axel hiding behind some equipment.

Just then, a Corridor of Darkness opened from the entrance. The five masters immediately got into fighting positions, Sora, Donald, and Goofy summoning their weapons.

Riku - with his hood up – then emerged from the corridor, with Monkey still over his shoulder.

"Organization XIII!" gasped Sora.

Shifu, however, immediately knew who it was, but remembering the promise he and Oogway made to Riku to to tell Sora and his friends, he maintained his stance and glare.

Riku then softly set down the still-paralyzed Monkey on the ground. Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy gasped in shock. Shifu was speechless.

"Master Monkey!" cried Po.

"What did you do to him?!" demanded Donald.

Riku stayed silent as he then disappeared through the corridor, which vanished.

"Wait!" cried Sora.

"Aw, phooey!" groaned Donald.

"Fellers, we can worry about that guy later, we'd gotta tend to Monkey!" Goofy pointed out.

Dismissing their weapons, the three travelers, along with Po and Shifu ran towards Monkey.

"Is he dead?! No, he's breathing! Is he asleep?! No, his eyes are open..." said Po, in a mixture of panic and confusion.

Shifu pressed some pressure points on monkey, freeing the master... who accidentally delivered a punch into Po's face. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and even Shifu winced at that. Axel did too as he came out from behind the equipment, but no one noticed him.

"He's too fast!" cried Monkey, before he realized where he was and saw the pained look on Po. "Sorry Po." he apologized sincerely.

Donald quickly casted a cure spell on both Po and Monkey as Shifu helped the latter up.

"Monkey, what happened? Where are the others?" demanded Shifu.

Monkey wanted to deny the truth, but he couldn't lie to his master and confessed. "We went to fight and defeat Tai Lung at the Thread of Hope."

"You what?!" exclaimed Shifu.

"Tai Lung paralyzed us and then escaped. Then, some humans in black cloaks appeared through some black and purple portal thing and took the rest. Then, that human that brought me here rescued me before the others could." Monkey added.

"Humans in black cloaks?" asked Sora. "What did they look like?"

Monkey thought for a minute. "One had an eye patch over his left eye, a scar near is mouth on the right, a gold eye, and black hair with gray streaks in a ponytail. Another man had blonde hair, a mustache and beard, along with several earrings on both ears. And the last one had long blue hair, gold eyes, pointy ears, small earrings, and an X-shaped scar across the bridge of his nose." he replied.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy gasped. They recognized the description as Xigbar, Luxord, and Saïx, whom they had encountered in The Land of the Dragons, Port Royal, and Twilight Town, face-to-face.

"Organization XII!" gasped Donald.

"You know them?" asked Po.

"Know them?! They've been causing trouble everywhere we go!" replied Donald.

"They're responsible for the Heartless." added Goofy.

"But why would they want the Furious Five?" Sora thought out loud.

Just then, a few Heartless spawned behind them. The six masters got into fighting positions, only to blink in confusion when two chakrams came from the left and destroyed Heartless.

"What the-?" began Sora, before he turned and saw the source and gasped. "Axel!"

There, leaning casually against the wall, arms folded, was Axel. He waved towards the group of six. "Yo, Sora! Donald! Goofy!" he called. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy summoned their weapons. Thinking this guy was trouble, Po, Shifu, and Monkey got into fighting positions as well.

To their surprise, Axel didn't try to attack them. "Relax. I'm not here to fight or hurt anyone." he then walked over towards the residents of this world. "You must be the Dragon Warrior, Po Ping. Must feel great to live your dream as a kung fu master."

Po blinked in surprise as Axel turned towards Shifu. "And you must be Master Shifu, head of the Jade Palace, and adoptive father of Tai Lung and Master Tigress."

Shifu blinked as well as Azel turned to Monkey. "And you must be Master Monkey, member of the Furious Five, and master of kung fu, monkey style."

Monkey blinked, but spoke. "Uh, yeah. And who are you?"

Axel sighed. "You seriously didn't here the kid? Fine. My name? Oh my name is Axel. Got it memorized?" replied Axel, pointing a finger to his head.

"Uh... sure." replied Monkey.

"What are you doing here Axel?" asked Goofy.

Axel smiled. "For one thing, I'm not here to fight. I'm here to _help_."

"Help? Why should we let you help?" asked Donald suspiciously.

Axel sighed in annoyance. "Do you see me attacking you? What is your problem?"

"You're a member of Organization XIII for moogle's sake!" shouted Donald, pointing an accusing finger at Axel.

Axel smirked. "EX-member." he corrected.

"Ex-member?" asked Po.

"Ever since I ditched that group, I've been on the run and they're gonna want to destroy me when they find me." replied Axel. "But in all seriousness, I believe I can help with your missing friends problem."

"How?" asked Sora, lowering his keyblade.

"I know Xemnas' plan for the Furious Five." answered Axel.

"You do?" asked Goofy.

Axel nodded. "While hiding out at Castle Oblivion, I witnessed Xemnas having a meeting with the remaining members of the organization. Turns out, he's very interested in the Five."

"How so?" asked Shifu.

"Their powerful moves, their strength, skill... their pure hearts." answered Axel.

"What do hearts have to do with anything?" asked Monkey.

Axel sighed. "Ok. Let's say that your heart was lost to the darkness. Your captive heart becomes a Heartless, and your body and soul become a Nobody."

"Nobody?" asked Po, confused.

"Beings without hearts. Like Axel." said Goofy.

"But how can you be alive if you don't have a heart?!" asked Monkey, surprised, as were Shifu and Po.

Sora shook his head. "Not the beating heart, the _physical_ one."

"Oh..." muttered Monkey.

Axel sighed. "Anyway, if you had a _pure_ heart, your Nobody would gain a unique body. One that would look like yourself."

"Where are you going with this?" asked Donald, tapping his foot impatiently.

Axel sighed again. "Jeez you're slow. Xemnas sensed the Furious Five had pure hearts, and he commands the Nobodies and sometimes the Heartless as well. And he had the organization try to capture the Five. Why do you think he did it?"

Sora though for a minute before he gasped. "Xemnas wants to turn the Furious Five into Heartless?!" he exclaimed.

Donald, Goofy, Po, Monkey, and Shifu gasped.

Axel smiled. Finally, someone got it. "Precisely. But he'll want their Heartless destroyed so he could claim their Nobodies. And why do think he wants their Nobodies?" he asked.

This time, Goofy figured it out as he gasped. "Xemnas wants the Five to serve him?!" he cried, making the others gasp.

Axel smirked. "Bingo! That's why he had Xigbar, Saïx, and Luxord free Tai lung from prison, not just so he could claim his revenge, but so he could defeat them, allowing the organization to capture the masters. It's all part of Xemnas' plan to cast this place into darkness."

"We've got to rescue the Five!" cried Po.

"Defiantly, before thy get turned into bad guys against their will!" nodded Monkey.

"I agree, we must find them." nodded Shifu, before frowning. "But we don't know where they are."

Then Sora turned to Axel. "Do you know?" he asked, hopefully, despite the fact that Axel was still technically an enemy.

Axel nodded. "They'd most likely be in the castle dungeon. I can take you to them, if you'll let me."

"No! No way!" protested Donald.

But to his surprise, Goofy said, "Donald. I know Axel may have done some bad things in the past, but think about it. He isn't trying to hurt us. He looks like he really wants to help." He then smiled. "Besides, it's kind of like Iago back in Agrabah. Remember?"

Donald thought back to Agrabah, how Jafar's parrot was on his side, but then switched to good and nearly sacrificed his life so Aladdin wouldn't get blasted.

"Goofy's right. We thought Iago was still a bad guy, but he changed. And Axel doesn't seem like he wants to be in the organization anymore, and is willing to sneak us into their headquarters to find the rest of Five, despite the fact he'd betrayed the bad guys Plus, Tigress, Viper, Crane, and Mantis are in trouble and need our help. Desperate times call for desperate measures.." said Sora.

Donald gaped in shock before he turned to Axel who looked at Donald with, surprisingly, a pleading expression and said, "Look. I know I've made a bunch of mistakes in the past, but I'm more than willing to make up for it. And I want to show that by helping you rescue your friends." he then smirked slightly as he pointed his finger to his head. "Got it memorized?"

Donald thought about if before gazing to the others. Sora, Goofy, and even Po nodded encouragingly, while Shifu and Monkey remained unsure for a few seconds, before smiling slightly and nodding.

Donald sighed. "Ok, we'll trust you Axel." He then glared. "But no funny business!"

Axel smirked. "Wasn't counting on it."

"And this doesn't mean we're friends!" Donald added, coldly.

"Give him time, took a while with Iago." Sora whispered to the redhead, who nodded.

"I'll come with you guys, I must find my friends." declared Monkey.

"Me too. You guys stuck with me, so I'll stick with you." said Po.

"Seems reasonable." shrugged Axel.

Shifu sighed and smiled. "Very well. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, Monkey... Axel, I wish you luck on your journey to bring back the rest of the Five safe and sound. Be safe."

"Yes master." the masters replied as they and Shifu saluted and bowed.

Axel smiled slightly at the scene as he opened a corridor.

Shifu then stride up to Sora. "In case of any trouble, take this." He then handed Sora Mickey's star-shard. Confused, Sora decided not to question it as he quickly pocketed the shard.

Shifu watched as Axel led Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, and Monkey through the corridor, which disappeared once they were out of sight. Shifu sighed as he hoped they'd find Tigress, Viper, Mantis, and Crane, and get them home safely, without getting into much trouble. After all, they had enough problems already.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _ **Boom! Didn't expect that after the fight did ya?! Now the next few chapters will take place at the Castle that Never Was. Rate and review!**_


	9. Chapter 9: Complicated Truths

A Corridor of Darkness opened up in the Castle that Never Was near the exit as Axel led Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, and Monkey through it.

"Whoa! What is this place?" asked Po, in awe. Monkey was in awe as well.

"Shh!" shushed Axel. "Keep quiet. This is the Organization's headquarters, the Castle that Never Was."

"So, you live here?" asked Monkey.

Axel shook his head. "Not anymore. Anyways, I'll lead you to the castle dungeon. We can't go through too many corridors because you five aren't wearing protective cloaks."

"Protective cloaks?" asked Donald.

Axel gestured to his cloak.

"I thought..." began Sora.

"What? Only Organization XIII wore it? It's a special cloak that protects you from the darkness overtaking you." explained Axel. "Besides, didn't your mouse friend wear one once?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy thought back to when Mickey did wear a cloak similar to the Organization's.

"Uh, guess you have a point." murmured Sora.

Axel shrugged. "Whatever."

"Say Axel, how come you left the Organization?" asked Donald, surprisingly curious.

Axel was a bit surprised by that question, but decided to answer anyways. "I left after Roxas left. I guess he suspected something was wrong with group. And quite frankly, I guess I did too."

"Wait, Roxas was in the Organization?" asked Sora, surprised. Donald and Goofy were surprised too.

Axel sighed. "Yeah. He was youngest and last member to join. He was our No. 13, and-" he suddenly paused as he looked at Sora in shock. "Wait, how do you know Roxas?"

"We didn't meet him, but we found a picture of him." said Sora.

Goofy handed Axel the photo of Roxas, Hayner, Pence, and Olette in Twilight Town he, Sora, and Donald found. Axel examined the photo as Po looked at Monkey.

"I have no idea what their talking about." he whispered.

"Me neither." Monkey whispered back.

Axel handed Sora the photo as the latter then added, "I also somehow knew his name. Somehow, it just popped into my head."

 _'So he doesn't know the truth.'_ Axel thought to himself in surprise.

"So, how'd you know Roxas?" asked Donald.

"I was tasked to look after him." replied the spiky-redhead. "After spending time together, we got along great. And after missions, we'd go to Twilight Town, and eat ice cream on top of the clocktower."

"You guys seemed like best friends." reamarked Monkey.

Axel nodded before his expression turned serious. "With that said, we'd better find your friends. Come on."

With that, the six boys quickly, but carefully ran off to find the dungeons.

* * *

Soon, the six arrived at the Crooked Ascension. Goofy then spoke up.

"Hey Axel?"

"Hmm?" asked the redhead.

"Why do Nobodies like you look and act like humans?" asked Goofy.

The six stopped in their tracks. Axel looked at Goofy and even Sora and Donald, who were also surprised at that question. Po and Monkey watched with interest.

Axel didn't know what to say. So he shrugged. "Not sure. Xemnas told us all that those with the purest of hearts and will can keep their human form."

"Like you? Your heart was pure enough?" asked Po.

Axel nodded. "Guess so, other wise I'd look like those Dusk Nobodies you three fought on your travels."

"So you lost your heart, it was powerful enough to allow you to keep a human form as a Nobody?" asked Sora, summing it up.

Axel smiled. "Bingo!" he answered as he then thought of something aand added, "Though, I don't remember how I lost it. My memories are still a bit fuzzy. Though I do know I lost it when I was about your age."

"What?!" Donald, Goofy, even Po and Monkey asked in shock.

Axel nodded.

"So the Organization's plan with all those hearts released form the Heartless was to create Kingdom Hearts to get their own hearts back and return to humans!" gasped Sora.

"Yeah, that was the idea." admitted Axel. "Though I have my suspicions that there's a downside to that."

"What do ya mean?" asked Po.

"I have a feeling that Xemnas knew more than the rest of us know and did." replied Axel, while referring to himself, Roxas, and the other remaining members, as well as those who were killed by Sora, Riku, himself, and the replica of Riku; Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Demyx, Marluxia, and Larxene.

"Gawrsh, that almost sounds like the time Maleficent was tricked by Ansem. The impostor one." Goofy pointed out.

"Yeah, Xehanort's Heartless." nodded Sora in agreement, remembering the time the false Ansem had tricked the witch for his plans.

"Who's Maleficent?" asked Monkey.

"An evil witch." answered Donald. Monkey nodded in understanding.

"Wait, Xehanort?" asked Axel. "Why does that name seem familiar?"

"He's the original incarnation of Ansem and Xemnas." answered Sora.

Axel gasped. "I thought Ansem was the original Xemnas!" then, he realized what he said. "Unless..."

"Who's this Xehanort guy?" asked Po.

"The man who's been causing all sorts of trouble." answered Sora before glaring. "He, his Heartless, and his Nobody are the reasons why me, Donald, and Goofy are traveling in the first place, and why we need to find our friends."

Po and Monkey were surprised.

"Just like how Tai Lung was the reason why the tournament for the Dragon Warrior was held." Monkey remarked out loud.

"He sounds very bad." remarked Po.

"Oh he is." nodded Donald.

Axel then had a determined look on his face. "Come on. Once we find your friends and get you all back to the Valley of Peace, I've got to find answers from Xemnas."

But before any of the six could move, Xigbar suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Well well well, look what we have here; a traitor, two kung fu masters, and the three meddling travelers." smirked Xigbar.

"Oh great." grunted Axel before glaring at the eye-patched Nobody. "Get lost Xigbar! We don't have time for your trouble!"

Xigbar smirked. "Really? I always thought you liked trouble." He then turned to Sora. "Trying to play the hero by rescuing those who claimed you and your friends were a disgrace to kung fu?

"Shut up!" shouted Sora as he summoned his keyblade. "Let Tigress, Mantis, Viper, and Crane go!"

Xigbar chuckled. "No can do. They'll be working for us soon." He then called out, "Sora! Roxas!"

"NO!" Axel screamed in horror.

Sora looked at Xigbar in confusion. Donald and Goofy traded glances as Po looked towards Monkey.

"Did he just call Sora, Roxas?" he asked.

"I guess." shrugged Monkey.

"You lot just won't stop putting us into such a pickle." sighed Xigbar. "Trying to rescue those who Xemnas wants to work for him."

"Xemnas doesn't deserve them!" shouted Goofy, glaring.

"Yeah, they belong back home!" added Monkey, also glaring.

Xigbar chuckled. "Man, you lot just don't quit." He then chuckled as he summoned his arrowguns. "Guess I'll just have to bring you all to your knees!"

"Shut up!" shouted Axel, summoning his chakrams.

Sora readied his keyblade and Donald and Goofy summoned their weapons, and Po and Monkey got into fighting stances.

 _(Data-Xigbar Boss Fight from Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix plays)_

 _Mission: Defeat Xigbar._

 _Party Members:  
Sora_

 _Donald Duck_

 _Goofy_

 _Po_

 _Axel_

 _Assistant:  
Monkey_

Soar charged forward and struck Xigbar in the stomach. Xigbar then tried shooting at the six, who managed to dodge the space bullets. Po and Monkey karate kicked the Nobody, but he managed to get up easily. Donald tried to whack Xigbar, but the latter maanged to dodge the attack. Axel and Goofy tossed their weapons like Frisbee's, but the evil Nobody also dodged them, but while doing so, Donald managed to shoot several spells at him.

Xigbar the leaped into the air, and began firing. Monkey leaped up and tried to attack, but Xigbar managed to spot him and smack him away. Po quickly caught Monkey as Sora blasted several light spells. Only a few hit Xigbar as he landed and tried charging towards the group. Po punched him in the face, and Goofy bashed him with his shield. Axel tried to slash the Nobody with his chakrams again, but he missed as Xigbar leaped into the air again. But his victory was short-lived as Sora fired several more spells.

Xigbar landed on the aground as Monkey then managed to kick him in the ribs, making the human gasp in pain as Po uppercutted him. As Xigbar flew into the air, Axel and Goofy thrusted their weapons again, making him fall to the ground.

Xigbar slowly got up, and glared at the six as he suddenly _flew_ into the air, much to everyone's shock, except Axel who muttered, "Man, I hat it when he does that."

Sora turned to Donald and Goofy, who nodded as they took the teen's hands, and in a bright flash, Sora was in his yellow Master Form, Oblivion in his hand, and Oathkeeper floating behind him. Donald and Goofy had also disappeared.

Axel stared in shock. "Those keybaldes... Roxas?" he whispered.

As Xigbar was about shoot again, Sora then lunged towards him, using Disaster on the enemy, finishing him off.

 _(Data-Xigbar Boss Fight from Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix ends)_

Xigbar landed on the ground _hard_ , dropping his arrowguns. Sora landed on the feet, dismissed his keyblades, and returned to his normal attire. Donald and Goofy also reappeared.

Axel walked towards Xigbar with a glare. He then turned towards the five kung fu masters and said, "Go! Wait for me down the hall! I've got questions for this lunatic."

Nodding, Sora, Po, Donald, Monkey, and Goofy ran down the hall as Axel picked up Xigbar by the collar of his cloak.

"Alright Xigbar, I've got some questions for you and you'd better answer them. Saïx may be Xemnas' second-in-command, but I know you're probably hiding something only the so-called superior knows since you're the Organization's second member." growled Axel.

Xigbar smirked. "Go ahead, I bet they won't help you and your pathetic friends."

Axel glared. "Alright then. First of all, Xemnas and that Heartless Ansem, they're the original incarnation of Xehanort, aren't they?"

Xigbar softly gasped. "How'd you know that?" he demanded.

"Sora." answered Axel. "Him, Donald, and Goofy know about it." he then asked, "Who is Xehanort? You'd better tell me, or I'll finish you like what I did to Vexen!"

Xigbar glared. "So it was you you killed him!" he realized.

"Only to gain Marluxia's trust to find out what he and Larxene were up to, but that's not the point." answered Axel before glaring again. "I'll ask again, who is Xehanort, and what is Xemnas' TRUE intentions?!"

Xigbar stared before chuckling darkly. "Well, since you're a traitor doomed to disappear, I guess I can tell you _some_ things. Kingdom Hearts was actually preventing us from getting our hearts back. It was all a lie Xemnas made up so he could have the rest of us be vessels for pieces of Xehanort's heart. And eventually, become on signal person in 13 bodies." he told the redhead.

"But why?" asked Axel. "Why would Xemnas want thirteen of us to become vessels for Xehanort? And how in the name of DiZ can someone split their heart into different pieces and put them into others? And 13 bodies of the same person? How is that possible?!"

Xigbar smirked as he began to disappear. "With a guy like Xehanort, _anything_ is possible."

With that, Xigbar teleported away.

Axel groaned. "Man I hate that guy." he then had a determined look on his face. "But I can't worry about that now, I must help Sora and the others rescue the masters."

He then took off to find Sora, Donald, goofy, Po, and Monkey, thinking about Xigbar's words, and the discussion he had with Sora earlier.

"Hmph. No wonder Roxas left." he muttered out loud as he ran down the hall.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _ **It's short I know, but I'll try to make them as long as I can. We'll see the captured masters in the next chapter. Don't forget to review!**_


	10. Chapter 10: Rescuing the Five

Soon, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Axel, Po, and Monkey were getting closer to the castle dungeon.

"I must say, this castle is _huge_." remarked Po.

"Yeah, guess so." nodded Axel.

"I must say you four, you performed amazing kung fu against that eye patched human. I am impressed." commented Monkey.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Po felt flattered.

"Aw shucks, it was nothing." said Goofy, bashfully.

"I have to agree with Monkey, it was pretty cool." admitted Axel. "Especially when you performed them over near the Pool of Sacred Tears."

Everyone but Axel suddenly paused in their steps.

"How did you know where we were being taught?" asked Po.

Axel froze in his steps. 'Oops.' he thought to himself before turning around to face the five kung fu masters with a sheepish look on his face. "I knew... because... I saw every lesson Shifu taught the four of you." he explained, shocking Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, even Monkey, even though he wasn't there.

"You were spying on us?!" quacked Donald in shock.

"Not spying, _observing_ should the Organization tried to attack ya." corrected Axel.

"I thought they were after me and my friends." said Monkey, confused.

"They were." Axel nodded. "But they also had their eye on your master if they could ever get the chance to capture him. Po too, should he ever learn kung fu. Someone else I was teamed up with was watching over the Five while I kept an eye on Shifu and his new students. We also watched over you guys during your whole training session on the courtyard. He also tried to stop you and the rest of the Five at those gates." he explained.

"Who was watching over us?" asked Monkey.

"The guy who saved you, Master Monkey." replied Axel.

"Who was he?" asked Sora, before his expression changed to a hopeful one. "Was it Riku?"

Axel only shrugged. "Dunno. Never told me his name." he lied.

Sora slumped in defeat. Donald and Goofy sighed as Po and Monkey looked at the three with sorry expressions.

"Anyway, I saw all of your training." continued Axel before smirking. "Heck, even I tried the lessons myself during your breaks." he added.

Po, Monkey, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were surprised.

"You know kung fu too?" asked Goofy.

"Yep." nodded Axel.

Donald and Monkey looked at the redhead with skeptical looks.

"Fine. Don't believe me? Next time we cross another member, I'll show you just what I can do with those kung fu moves." scoffed Axel.

"You never had that kind of training here?" asked Po.

Axel rubbed the back of his neck as he thought back to before he betrayed the Organization.

"Well..."

* * *

 _Axel's memory, before Roxas joined the Organization:_

 _In the castle's training room, Axel practices against some fake targets by slashing them with his chakrams._

 _Zexion is able to trap some targets in his Lexicon book as Vexen freezes some more before bashing them with his shield._

 _As Luxord slashes many more with his cards, Demyx tiredly finishes off the rest with his water clones as he used his sitar to command them._

 _Once they were done, the five Nobodies approached Saïx._

" _Good work the lot of you." he told them._

" _Man, what a work out." chuckled Axel, wiping his forehead._

" _Is this training and fighting thing really necessary?" asked a tired Demyx, running his gloved hand through his hair._

" _How else would you defend yourself against a bunch of Heartless?" asked Vexen, raising an eyebrow._

" _Face it guys, I'm just not cut out for fighting." sighed Demyx._

" _That's because your extremely lazy and lacking." scoffed Zexion._

" _Aw come on guys, Demyx does specialize in recon." Axel pointed out. Demyx smiled a little._

 _Zexion sighed. "I suppose..." he muttered._

" _Enough." deadpanned Saïx as Xigbar, Xaldin, Lexaeus, Marluxia, and Larxene entered the training room. "Proceed with your missions. Then meet back in the throne room once your reports have been filled out." He then eyed Demyx with a small glare. "_ Properly _."_

 _The mullet-haired Nobody softly gulped as he and the others left._

" _Sometimes, that man is unreadable." chuckled Luxord._

" _You have know idea." Axel sighed._

 _End of flashback..._

* * *

"We did have training, just not 'kung fu style.'" admitted Axel.

"I see..." murmured Po.

Monkey cleared his throat. "I believe we should be looking for our friends." he reminded them.

"Right." said Sora with determination. He turned towards the redhead. "Lead the way Axel."

Axel nodded as they continued on their way.

* * *

Soon, the six approached the dungeons in the Soundless Prison.

"It should be one of these." Axel told Sora and the clothed anthropomorphic animals.

Sora, Po, Monkey, Donald, and Goofy nodded as they made their way with the former Number VIII towards the cells.

It had only been a few minutes when they heard Goofy call out to them.

"Fellers! I found them!"

Sora, Donald, Axel, Po, and Monkey ran towards Goofy and gasped as they looked through the bars.

There inside, were Tigress, Viper, Crane, and Mantis, locked up, laying on the ground in sitting positions, and unconscious.

"Guys!" cried Po.

"They're still unconscious!" Monkey softly gasped.

"Gawrsh, how come they haven't been turned yet?" asked Goofy.

Axel shrugged. "Guess Xemnas wanted all five of the Five so he could cast them into darkness at at once."

"Well, that's not gonna happen." said a determined Sora.

The six stepped back from the cell as they looked for a way to unlock it.

"There's got to be a keyhole somewhere." grumbled Donald, looking around the cell.

Suddenly, Axel felt something wrong in the area as he looked towards the other entrance to the right _(viewer's left)_ of the dungeons. Suddenly, Axel caught a glimpse of a card being flung towards Donald. Axel gasped.

"Look out!" he shouted, shoving Donald and himself out of the way towards the ground as the card struck the wall, leaving it in place with the sharp corner lodged in.

"What was that?!" cried Po.

"Gawrsh, looks like something nearly took out Donald!" cried Goofy.

"You-You save me..." gasped Donald. He looked up at the redhead. "Why?"

Axel smiled a little as he got up. "Like I said, I'm on _your_ side." he replied, offering Donald a hand.

Donald smiled a little as Axel helped him up.

While glad to see Donald and Axel starting to get along, Sora looked towards the wall in between two cells where the card had struck.

"A card nearly took out Donald?" he asked in confusion.

"Card?" asked Axel before realizing. "Oh no..." He turned towards the other exit from the cell blocks before calling out, "Trying to kill us Luxord?"

Said Nobody waked into the cell block hallway and approached the heroes. "What can I say? The traitors must be disposed of." he chuckled darkly.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Axel summoned their weapons as Po and Monkey got into fighting stances, all glaring at the blonde-haired Nobody.

Luxord then smirked darkly as he continued walking over before snapping his fingers. Instantly, a bunch of large cards came towards Sora and his friends.

"Flying cards?!" Po cried in disbelief.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Axel jumped out of the way. But Po and Monkey weren't so lucky as before they could move, the cards surrounded them and with a snap of Luxord's fingers, the two residents of the Valley of Peace were gone.

"Fellers! No!" cried Goofy.

"We'll get the back!" assured Axel.

"You'll have to defeat me first." smirked Luxord.

 _(Data Luxord Battle from Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix plays)_

 _Mission: Defeat Luxord_

 _Party Members:  
Sora_

 _Donald Duck_

 _Goofy_

 _Axel_

Luxord lunged forwards. Sora responded by striking the Organization's No. 10 with his keyblade a few times. Axel thrusted his chakrams towards Luxord, only for him to dodge them with ease. Luxord then tossed seven cards towards the heroes, but Donald managed to block them off with his staff. Goofy tossed his shield towards the Nobody, but missed. Luxord charged forward again, only to receive an uppercut kick from Axel to the chin.

Growling, Luxord summoned his larger cards. But no sooner had he summoned them, Goofy bashed him with his shield. Donald and Sora were able to destroy the cards from imprisoning them as Goofy and Axel focused on Luxord. Goofy used some kung fu kicks and punches and Axel used a jump-and-kick swinging technique, making Luxord fall to the ground as he struggled to stand up again.

"Wow, nice job Axel!" praised Goofy.

Axel smirked in response.

Once the larger cards were gone, Sora and Donald rejoined their friends. Donald blasted the Nobody with his staff, sending him backwards a little. Sora then lunged into the air and blasted some more spells. Some hit Luxord while others missed. Luxord then sent some more cards Sora's way, which knocked him down. Axel threw his chakrams again, and they struck the evil Nobody.

After casting a cure on himself, Sora in-tandem with Donald, performed a large light spell. It struck Luxord to the ground again. This was enough time for Goofy and Axel to lunge forward to perform several kung fu kicks against the Gambler of Fate, sending him falling towards the front of the dungeon cell.

Luxord got up, an evil smile across his face as he summoned more giant cards, ready to trap Sora ans his friends in. Quickly thinking, Sora transformed into his Limit Form and leaped in the air towards Luxord, performing Sonic Rave and then Zantetsuken against him, defeating him.

 _(Data Luxord Battle from Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix ends)_

Luxord fell to the ground, defeated. Sora and Co. dismissed their weapons as the teen's clothes changed back to normal. The Nobody looked at them with a dark expression across his face. "You'll all pay for this. Your fates have been sealed." he muttered as he teleported away.

"Nice job with the kung fu moves Axel." commented Sora.

"Guess you were telling the truth." chuckled Donald.

Axel smiled a little. "Uh, thanks." he replied, rubbing the back of his head, slightly bashful, despite not having a heart.

Suddenly, the large cards appeared again, only to reveal Po and Monkey, shocked and confused, but alright.

"What just happened?" asked Monkey.

"Nothing much, just defeated another member." said Sora casually, folding his arms behind his back. Donald and Goofy snickered as Axel smirked.

"Alright. With that said, how will we free our friends?" asked Monkey.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared over the cell bars, to reveal a keyhole.

"How 'bout that?" asked Po.

"Works for me." nodded Sora as he resummoned Kingdom Key, aimed it towards the keyhole, and shot a beam through it. There was a unlocking noise as the keyhole suddenly disappeared, and the bars of the cell disappeared.

"We're in!" cheered Goofy.

With that, Sora and his allies rushed into the cell. Tigress, Viper, Crane, and Mantis remained unconscious.

"How are we gonna wake them up?" asked Monkey.

"I got this." said Donald with a smile as he resummoned his staff and casted a cure spell shouting, "Heal!"

Immediately, the four captured members of the Five glowed slightly. Po, Monkey, and even Axel stared in amazement.

"Cool!" exclaimed Po.

The glowing disappeared as the four masters suddenly began to groan. Tigress, Crane, and Mantis struggled a little to stand as Viper slithered upwards.

"Oh... my head..." mumbled Mantis, rubbing his head.

"What... what happened to us...?" groaned Viper, rubbing her head with her tail before readjusting her lotus flowers.

"Tai Lung... tried to kill us..." panted Crane.

"But... why didn't he?" asked Tigress.

"Oh thank China you guys are ok!" cried Monkey as he and Po immediately hugged their friends... a little hard.

"Po, Monkey, you're crushing us." wheezed Viper.

"Oh sorry!" gasped Po as he and Monkey broke the hug.

"What happened to us?" asked Crane.

"What is this place?" asked Tigress.

"And how did you two along with Sora, Donald, and Goofy get here?" asked Mantis.

"Well..." Sora began. "It all started like this..."

 _A few minutes later..._

Sora, Po, Donald, Monkey, and Monkey explained to Tigress, Viper, Mantis, and Crane about how Tai Lung was working for Organization XIII, how they had their eye on the Five _(as well as Shifu and later, Po as well)_ , how they were captured, Monkey getting saved, and how they had to come rescue them from meeting a terrible fate. Axel watched them from the other side of the cell, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, a small smile on his face.

When they were finished, Tigress and the others were shocked and horrified by the story.

"We were gonna get turned into Heartless?!" gasped Viper.

"Yeah, but luckily we prevented that from happening." said Donald.

"But how did you get here?" asked Crane.

"That's where I come in." said Axel as we walked towards the group of nine.

"Are you with this Organization?" asked Mantis.

Axel shook head. "Nope. I left them after another member I was best friends with left as well. I'm on your side. I helped Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, and Monkey get to this castle to save you." he explained.

"Really?" asked Crane in surprise.

"What's your name?" asked Viper.

"Name's Axel." replied the Nobody as he pointed to the side of his head with a smirk. "Got it memorized?"

"Uh... yeah." replied Viper.

"So... now what?" asked Po.

"First, let's get to a safe point so I can get us out of here with out being seen. Though, I have no doubt that the remaining members of the Organization will be on us." said Axel.

"With that said, follow him out of here." said Sora.

Immediately, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, and Monkey followed Axel out of the cell and into the hall. Tigress, Mantis, Crane, and Viper looked at each other before leaping out of the cell and quickly following them.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _ **The next chapter will be the last one where these ten in the castle (together at least). Stay tuned, and don't forget to review!**_


	11. Chapter 11: New Friendships Formed

It wasn't long before Sora, Donald, Goofy, Axel, Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey found themselves in the Added Impasse.

"Alright." said Axel. "We should be safe for right now. That last battle with Luxord was pretty exhausting, so it'll be a while before I get back to full strength to summon a corridor." he explained.

"Understood." nodded Sora.

"Alright!" cheered Po. "Just you wait guys, we'll be home soon!" he told the Five.

But as the panda, along with Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Axel looked towards the team of kung fu warriors, they were surprised to see them with sorry and ashamed expressions across their faces. Even Tigress had never looked so ashamed in her life.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Sora, confused and a slight bit concerned.

"Yeah, you're safe, so why the long faces?" asked Donald, also worried.

Goofy and even Axel looked at them concerned.

The Five said nothing after 10 seconds before Viper spoke up.

"Why?"

This took Po and the humans aback.

"Why what?" asked Po, confused.

"Why would you all save us?" asked Viper. "We know Axel was trying to redeem himself..."

Axel shrugged at that.

"...but why would you, Sora, Donald, and Goofy want to save us?" she asked, feeling more ashamed. "...after the way we treated you?"

"We were horrible excuses of masters." said Monkey. "We acted way low when we should've been encouraging and helping you." he added sadly.

"We let our jealousy and bitterness slightly get the batter of us." sighed Crane.

"We treated you poorly." sighed Mantis.

"We called you a disgrace..." said Tigress. "...especially me..." she then looked like she was gonna cry, much to the other's _(except her teammates')_ surprise. "Why would you want to save us?"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Po were really surprised. Axel was taken aback as well at how the Furious Five, hardcore warriors he'd witnessed, feel so guilty, ashamed, and almost looked like they were about to cry.

Po and the travelers looked at each other before looking back at the sorry-looking kung fu masters.

"Well, yeah I'll admit, your words towards me and my friends... especially _me_ were _hurtful_." Po admitted.

Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis looked more ashamed than ever. But then they were taken aback as Po smiled. Sora, Donald, and Goofy smiled too.

"...but your words also helped me see my flaws and mistakes in a different light, and helped me realize what I was doing wrong, and I learned from it." he finished.

"Yeah, and we're not ones to hold grudges against those who don't get over bitterness and jealousy overnight." added Goofy.

"Plus, we _couldn't_ just _abandon_ you guys! You're our friends! Hurtful words or not!" added Donald.

"Just like how wouldn't abandon anyone you've ever saved in your lives as protectors of the valley." added Sora with a determined look. "We would _never_ abandon you."

Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis were now _really_ surprised. They'd expected Sora, Donald, Goofy, and especially Po to be angry with them, and Axel to be on their side and mock and tease them for their behavior. But they didn't expect this.

"Po... Sora... Donald... Goofy, I... I don't know what to say." stuttered Tigress.

"I do." smiled Viper. "Those were some of the wisest words I've ever heard in my life."

"Me too." smiled Crane.

"Shifu and Oogway would be proud." commented Monkey. Mantis nodded in agreement.

Tigress approached the four. "On behalf of me and my friends... Po, Sora, Donald, Goofy... we are very truly sorry for the way we treated you." she said seriously with an apologetic look. Mantis, Crane, Viper, and Monkey nodded in agreement.

The four friends smiled.

"Apology accepted." smiled Po as he, Sora, Donald, and Goofy saluted and bowed. Smiling, the Five did the same.

Axel smiled at the scene. "Glad to see that's all sorted out. Now you're all friends." he remarked, chuckling a little. He then gasped softly, placing his hand on his chest in shock and confusion.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey looked at Axel in confusion and slight worry.

"Axel, are you ok?" asked Viper, concerned.

"I-I feel something warm in my chest." replied the Nobody. "I'm not supposed to feel anything, emotions or feelings, because I don't have a heart."

"No heart?" Mantis and Crane asked in confusion.

Sora quickly filled the rest of the Five in on Nobodies and how they had no hearts, therefore, no emotions.

"I see..." murmured Tigress. "But yet, you feel warmth, like you do have a heart."

"Yeah..." replied Axel.

"Axel, are you sure you don't have any emotions?" asked Goofy.

"I'm sure. Xemnas told us so." replied the redhead. "But sometimes, I feel something in my chest. Sometimes it just feels warm. Like I'm... happy."

"Maybe Xemnas lied about that too." remarked Goofy.

"Whaddya mean?" asked Po.

"If Xemnas lied to the Organization about Kingdom Hearts, who knows what else he was hiding." answered Goofy.

"Maybe 's right." shrugged Sora. Then a thought came to his mind. "Say Axel, did you guys have a member who was tall, had mullet-hair that was dirty-blonde, and seemed... a bit bizarre?"

"Yeah, that was Demyx, our former No. 9 before you three defeated and destroyed him." nodded Axel. "And I wouldn't say 'bizarre'. 'Lazy,' sure, when it came to missions, and laid-back before and after them. Why do you ask?" asked the redhead.

"Well, when we first met him in the Underworld..." Sora began, thinking back.

* * *

 _Flashback to when Sora, Donald, and Goofy were in the Underworld at Olympus Coliseum, walking along until they see a cloaked Organization member come towards them._

 _But as they readied their weapons, the figure ran past them shouting, "Run, run away!"_

 _He then disappeared through a Corridor of Darkness, much to the trio's confusion._

" _Okay..." said Sora, confused._

 _End of flashback_

* * *

 _Present day..._

"And then when we ran into him again..." Sora continued.

* * *

 _Flashback to that moment..._

 _"Let's see, here... 'If the subject fails to respond, use aggression to liberate his true disposition'... Right. Did they ever pick the wrong guy for this one..." Demyx muttered as he read from his instruction card._

" _You're bizarre." said Sora._

 _Demyx then pulled out the Olympus Stone._

" _He's got to be the thief!" exclaimed Goofy!"_

" _Now that's just plain rude!" said the mullet-haired Nobody, offended._

 _End of flashback_

* * *

 _Present day:_

"And when we confronted him again in Hollow Bastion..." continued Sora.

* * *

 _Flashback to that moment as Demyx appeared in front of the trio in Hollow Bastion. He seemed like he was about to fight when he then put on a casual smile._

" _Hey, you guys are looking lively." he commented._

" _Scram!" retorted Donald._

" _Didn't we catch you messing around in the Underworld?" asked Sora. "How'd a wimp like you get into Organization XIII?"_

 _Demyx suddenly seemed a bit nervous._

" _I bet you can't even fight!" scoffed Sora._

" _Yeah., but we can!" added Donald._

 _Demyx waved his finger towards the three like he was scolding them while trying to be intimidating. "You shouldn't judge anyone by appearance."_

 _Sora, Donald, and Goofy readied their weapons._

 _Demyx groaned as he turned around muttering to himself out loud, "I told them they were sending the wrong guy..."_

" _Who is this kook?" Sora asked._

" _Remember, the Organization is made up of Nobodies." reminded Goofy._

" _Right. No hearts."_

 _Demyx turned around. "Oh, we do too have hearts! Don't be mad..." he told them._

 _Still not buying it, Donald exclaimed, "You can't trick us."_

 _Demyx turned around again. Fed up with all the insults, he turned around and pointed at Sora, his carefree attitude completely dropped._

" _Silence, traitor." he said dangerously._

 _Sora, Donald, and Goofy were surprised at the change of personality as Demyx summoned his sitar, ready to fight._

 _End of flashback_

* * *

 _Present day..._

As Sora finished, Axel looked at him in surprise. Donald and Goofy were surprised too, as were Po and the Five.

"Scared, offended, and not-so-carefree?" mused Axel. "Maybe Demyx had emotions after all. Maybe we all did. It's like what he said, we did have hearts."

"But if you did have hearts, that might mean Xemnas lied about that too." said Donald.

'But why?" asked Goofy.

"Maybe he said that so you guys would think so since you lost your hearts, deny any feelings you might experience, and continue to follow him blindly." guessed Sora. As he thought back to Demyx's words, the more he thought that maybe the Organization did have hearts after all. The mullet-haired Nobody couldn't stand up against Hades and how strange he acted.

"Could be." shrugged Axel.

But before the conversation could continue, Tigress spoke up. "As much as I am interested in this story as much as the next person, we should really get back to the Valley of Peace."

"Right." nodded Axel. "After that, I've got some questions to ask Xemnas."

"Don't bother." came a voice.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Axel, Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey turned around to see Saïx appear before them. They all quickly got into fighting positions, Sora, Axel, Donald, and Goofy summoning their weapons.

Saïx smirked as he summoned his claymore before looking towards Axel. "So you've returned, traitor." he mused.

Axel glared. "I only betrayed the Organization because Roxas did." he retorted. "He knew something we didn't, and quite frankly, leaving the group was the right thing to do."

Saïx glared. "And to even think that I was friends with you." he muttered darkly.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, and the Five were surprised as they glanced over towards Axel who sighed heavily.

"We could've gotten our hearts back, but you went over to Roxas instead." added Saïx, darkly.

"Only because you changed!" retorted Axel.

"Hmph." sniffed Saïx. "All the same. No one is leaving this castle. You and the travelers will die, and the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five will be casted into Darkness. Their Heartless will fill Kingdom Hearts, and their Nobodies will serve us, as Xemnas rules over all the worlds."

"Never!" growled Tigress.

"We will never work for you!" shouted Po.

"Choice is yours, surrender or fight!" shouted Sora.

Saïx smirked as he raised his claymore, making it sharper.

"Oh come on!" grumbled Crane.

"I hate it when you do that!" growled Axel.

"If getting back to the valley means we have to go through you, so be it!" shouted Sora.

Saïx smirk grew darker as he raised his weapon. "Do you feel it? The moon's power?"

 _(Saïx boss Battle from Kingdom Hearts II plays)_

 _Mission: Defeat Saïx by fighting alongside the Furious Five_

 _Party Members:  
Sora_

 _Donald Duck_

 _Goofy_

 _Axel_

 _Po_

 _Assistants:  
Tigress_

 _Viper_

 _Crane_

 _Mantis_

 _Monkey_

"Moon, shine down!" shouted Saïx.

Instantly, a large beam nearly struck the ten as they lunged for the Nobody. Sora tried to strike with his keyblade, but Saïx managed to block it with his claymore. The two were in a mini-clash before Tigress kung-fu kicked Saïx to the side. Growling, the blue-haired Nobody was about to swing his weapon until he got blasted by a lightning spell casted by Donald. Axel threw his charkrams, but Saïx managed to smack them away. He sneered at his former fellow member.

"BE GONE!" he shouted, lunging for Axel.

But before he could, Goofy bashed him with his shield to the side. Angry, Saïx tried casting more beams, but he was then instantly tied up by Viper. While struggling to get free, Saix failed to see Po punch him in the face.

"Nice shot Po!" shouted Crane.

Growling as Viper slid off, Saïx leaped into the air, ready to strike, only for Crane to grab his claymore with his claws, and fly off as Monkey delivered a kick to the Organization's No. 7, sending him to the ground.

As he got up, Saïx glared at the bird, before leaping into the air, and uppercutting Crane in the neck, making him fall to the ground, dropping the claymore.

Viper gasped. "No! Hold on my dear Crane!" she shouted.

This made the other nine stop in their tracks. 'My dear Crane?!' they all thought in unison.

"Well that was..." began Axel.

"Unexpected." finished Mantis.

Saïx laughed evilly as he leaped into the air again, but Tigress spun-kicked him to the side. Growling, Saïx thrusted his claymore, but Po blocked it out of the way.

Sora then rushed up, punched and kicked Saïx hard before whacking him with his keyblade. Mantis then managed to bring the Nobody to the ground with his kung fu moves. Saïx groaned as he got up again.

Meanwhile, Viper looked at her fallen apparent lover. "Stay down." she told him before giving him a small kiss on the cheek, and charged back into battle.

Viper lashed against Saïx's head with her tail, making him wince in pain. Monkey then double punched him in the face. Saïx readied his claymore to strike again, but Donald blocked it with his staff, and twirled it like a bow before casting a thunder spell against the blue-haired Nobody. This gave Axel the chance to give Saïx a swift high kick to the ribs.

Saïx fell to the side, groaning. He was about to get up, ready for more, when out of nowhere, Crane swooped by, distracting the Nobody before the avian kung fu master came from behind, and kung fu kicked him to the ground.

"Crane!" exclaimed Viper happily, quickly slithering up around the bird's neck happily, as Crane smiled.

"Glad to see he's ok." smiled Mantis.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, Tigress, Monkey, and even Axel nodded in agreement.

But their relief for their friend's quick recovery was short lived as Saïx got up, rage plastered across his face. He and his claymore suddenly began to float up high in the air.

"Uh oh..." gulped Axel.

"What?' asked Tigress.

"He's entering berserk mode..." answered Axel, meekly.

Saïx then instantly shouted, **"BE GONE!"**

The out of nowhere, several moonbeams struck Donald, Goofy, Axel, Po, and the Furious Five, who instantly fell to the ground in pain. Sora had leaped out of the way just in time.

"NO!" he screamed.

He glared at Saïx, who suddenly lunged at the keyblade wielder _very_ fast. Saïx struck Sora across the hall with his claymore.

Sora landed with a loud thud. He groaned in pain.

Saïx was still in berserk mode as he looked at Sora's friends. "You're fates are sealed!" he growled.

Still in pain, Sora began to stand up, weakly. He glared dangerously at Saïx, as the Nobody finally noticed him.

"Get away from them!" Sora shouted.

Suddenly in a bright flash, Sora was now in another form. He was completely black with yellow eyes, emitting darkness from his hands and arms, almost like the AntiSora Heartless. The one form Sora hoped he'd never enter.

AntiForm.

Saïx almost starred in shock as he quickly regained his focus and charged towards Sora, who jumped into the air, keyblade in hand, as the two fought _very hard_ mid-air.

Donald, Goofy, Axel, Po, and the Furious Five suddenly began to get up again as they moaned in pain.

"What happened?" groaned Goofy.

"I think we were berserked or somethin'." answered Mantis, rubbing his head.

"Where's Sora?" asked Crane.

Viper looked around before looking up and gasped.

"Sora?!" she cried.

Everyone else looked up in Viper's direction and gasped as well.

"Is that Sora?!" asked Po, shocked.

"I think it is!" answered Tigress.

"Why's he all black and on fire or something?!" cried Monkey.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other in worry as they and Axel muttered at the same time, "AntiForm."

Meanwhile, Sora and a berserk-mode Saïx continued to fight midair, before landing on the ground. Before Saïx could do anything else, Sora jumped into the air, and used Midair Doom to defeat the Nobody.

 _(Saïx boss Battle from Kingdom Hearts II ends)_

Saix fell to the ground, defeated.

Sora landed safely on the ground, returning to normal. He glared at the Nobody before turning to his friends.

"You all ok?" he asked with concern.

Donald, Goofy, Axel, Po, and the Furious Five still seemed a bit frightened at Sora's AntiForm, but quickly shrugged it off as Viper answered, "Yes. We're ok."

"Why did you guy's look all shocked?" asked Sora.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other nervously as the latter answered, "Well... you see... um.. you were in... AntiForm."

Sora gasped. "AntiForm!?"

"Is that bad?" asked Mantis.

"We're not sure." replied Donald.

"Whatever it was," began Axel as he strode up to Sora. "I'm sure it was just a one-time thing."

"I hope so." sighed Sora.

Axel then turned to Saïx, who was now out of berserk mode, and on one knee, panting. The redhead sighed as he walked towards the bluehead.

"Axel, what are you doing?!" Tigress asked in shock.

Axel ignored her as he bent down to Saïx's level. The Nobody looked up at Axel, a frustrated and heartless expression on his scarred face.

"What?" he asked, grimly.

Axel sighed. "I'm sorry. I really am. But this isn't who you are."

Saïx huffed. "What do you know about me? You abandoned dour friendship for Roxas. Some friend you turned to be... Lea." he said, darkly.

Axel sighed at being refereed to by his human name. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for things to go this way. But it was _you_ who changed. You became Xemnas' second-in-command. You let our friendship slip away through the cracks. You weren't the friend I knew anymore... Isa." explained Axel.

Saïx sniffed in amusement. "You should've stuck more to what was real... and not what _wasn't_."

With that, Saïx teleported away. Axel sighed heavily at the spot where his former friend vanished from.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis looked at Axel with sorry expressions. They'd heard everything. They slowly approached him.

"Axel? Are you ok?" asked Goofy, softly.

Axel turned to face the kung fu masters and sighed. "I guess not..." he sighed.

"Why did he call you Lea, and why did you call him Isa?" asked Sora, curiously.

Axel sighed again. "Lea... was my human name. Isa's was Saïx's." he replied.

"'Human name?'" asked Donald, confused.

"Before we were Nobodies, me and Isa were childhood best friends. We played together, grew up together, and after we both lost our parents almost 10 years ago, we stood by each other." He then chuckled sadly. "We often got into trouble all the time.." His face then turned sad again. "But one day, I still don't know how _exactly_ it happened, but we lost our hearts. When we woke up, Xemnas found us, and we were the Organization's 7 and 8. We were renamed Axel and Saïx. Eventually, we both conspired together to eventually overthrow the Organization, just so we could get our hearts back and be human again. But I messed up, and Saïx had changed completely. He was cold, dark, and heartless. He wasn't the Isa I knew anymore. So I spent more time with Roxas." His face saddened even further. "But I messed up that friendship too. And it just stung even further when Roxas didn't remember me, and when the Organization wanted him dead. I lost my best friends. One from childhood, and one from my time on the wrong side."

Axel sighed heavily that the others could've sworn he was about to cry. "I'm all alone."

The other nine were shocked at Axel's story, and felt sorry for the Nobody. Sora approached the Flurry Dancing of Flames, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're not alone Axel." he said softly with a warm smile.

Axel was surprised. "Whaddya mean?"

"You've got us." replied Sora.

Goofy smiled as he approached them. "Yeah. You helped redeem yourself by helping us rescue our friends. We're your friends now."

Even Donald smiled warmly as he approached the redhead. "Yeah. I'm sorry I said we could never be friends. But helping us, watching over us, and saving me from losing my head proved yourself to be a good guy through and through."

Po smiled as he approached Axel. "Yeah, and you've also got me and the Five." he turned to the Furious Five. "Right guys?" asked the panda.

After a few seconds, Monkey gave a smile and a thumbs-up. Viper smiled kindly. Crane nodded in agreement. Mantis gave a smile and nod. Finally, Tigress smiled a little as she too nodded.

Axel had never felt so shocked in his life. He then smiled sadly at Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po and the Five. He could only mutter something as he felt like he was about to cry. "T-T-Thank you..."

Sora smiled even wider. "And who knows? Maybe you and Isa could be friends again." He then patted Axel's shoulder. "And I don't know how, but I have a feeling Roxas forgives you too."

Axel smiled as he could've sworn he saw Roxas in Sora's place, briefly smile at him.

Suddenly, a bunch of Heartless spawned around the Added Impasse.

"OH COME ON!" quacked Donald, angrily.

"And things were getting so sweet too!" added Viper, furious.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Axel quickly summoned their weapons as Po and the Five got into fighting stances.

 _(Maleficent Boss Fight from Kingdom Hearts 2 plays)_

 _Mission: Team up with the Furious Five and defeat the Heartless_

 _Party Members:_

 _Sora_

 _Donald Duck_

 _Goofy_

 _Axel_

 _Po_

 _Assistants:  
Tigress_

 _Viper_

 _Crane_

 _Mantis_

 _Monkey_

The fight was on as Sora and Axel began slashing Heartless with keyblade and chakrams in hands. Axel joined Goofy in tossing their weapons like Frisbee's. Donald used his staff like a kung fu staff against the Heartless, while also casting other spells at the same time. Sora sucker-punched and kung fu kicked any heartless that tried to get behind him.

Po and the Five bunched and kicked any Heartless that tried to get to them. Po used swift blocks with his arms, and punched and kicked like mad. Tigress slashed many with her claws, and because of her strength, she was able to defeat any Heartless with one punch or kick each. Crane flew around the darkness-filled creatures before punching them with is strong wings, and was even able to crush any Heartless with his bird-claws.

Viper slithered around the creatures with ease and was able to tie around two or three of them at the same time. And using her tail strength, she was able to slash any Heartless as well. Mantis, despite his size, using his strength managed to toss Heartless in the air, and using his own kung fu moves was able to make them disappear into darkness. And Monkey was going all crazy in punching and kicking like, mad, monkey kung fu style, destroying the Heartless.

 _(Maleficent Boss Fight from Kingdom Hearts 2 ends)_

Eventually, the ten were all exhausted from all the fighting.

"There's too many of them!" cried Donald, panicking.

"I'm open for options!" called Crane.

Axel though for a minute as he then shouted, "There's only one thing left to do! Everyone get clear! Hide in the hall! What I'm about to do is _extremely_ dangerous!"

Sora and Co. looked at Axel in shock.

"Gawrsh, are you sure you can handle them?" asked Goofy, concerned.

Axel smirked. "Nah, I can handle these punks." he replied. "Get over to that hall, and watch this."

Knowing that Axel seemed serious, despite his snarky grin, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, and the Five leaped over the Heartless and stood in the hall entrance as Axel casted a barrier, blocking the nine heroes - who were all watching in concern - from re-entering.

Axel got his chakrams ready as he called out to the Heartless who approached him, "Come here! I'll make it all stop!"

Axel then held his weapons together as he summoned enough energy. He then began to float a little above the ground, focusing all his energy before shouting, "BURN BABY!" At that, Axel yelled loudly as he released a large powerful blast of fire all around the Added Impasse, destroying all the Heartless.

After shielding themselves from the brightness, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, Tigress, Mantis, Crane, Viper, and Mantis all stared in shock, eyes widened and jaws dropped.

"Whoa!" gasped Sora in awe.

"Cool!" exclaimed Po in a small whisper.

"That's new." said Crane, still shocked.

Axel panted heavily as his weapons disappeared and he fell to the ground, flat on his back. That blast took a lot out of him. The others gasped.

"Axel!" Sora cried.

They all quickly ran over towards the Nobody.

"Are you ok?" asked Donald, concerned.

Axel smirked weakly. "Take my advice, don't put your whole being into an attack, unless absolutely necessary." He then wiped from sweat from his head as he added. "Though it could've been worse. If it were classic Nobodies like the Dusks, I'd would've had to put even more energy into that attack, and i'd probably wouldn't be here right now."

"That's a scary thing to think." Viper pointed out.

Axel just shrugged weakly.

"We're glad that you saved us, but can you get us back home?" asked Tigress.

"I'll try." muttered Axel.

He held up his arm and tied to summon a corridor, but suddenly pulled back quickly and held his arm as he hissed loudly in pain.

"Axel, what's wrong?!" asked Goofy.

"I think that attack took too much out of me to summon anything." panted Axel.

"Great, so we're stuck here?" asked Crane.

"I guess." sighed Monkey.

Suddenly, swarms of Dusk Nobodies appeared around the ten.

"What are THEY?!" cried Po, immediately panicking.

"The Nobodies!" cried Sora.

"We've got to get out of here now!" shouted Tigress.

"How?! Axel's too weak to summon anything!" cried Crane.

Suddenly Sora had an idea as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Star Shard.

"Shifu said to use this in case we're in trouble." he then frowned. "But how does it work?"

Donald and Goofy gasped. "The star shard!" they exclaimed.

"The what?" asked Sora.

"It's what his maj-I mean Mickey used to travel between wor-I mean different places!" explained Donald, while also trying to keep the idea of Mickey as a king and the other worlds a secret.

"Use it to get us out of here!" cried Goofy.

"I don't know how to use it!" cried Sora.

"Just tell it what to do!" said Donald.

Sora looked at the shard as he then said, almost panicky, "Uh, get the ten of us here back to the Valley of Peace!" Sora then held it up and hoped for the best.

Suddenly, before any of them knew it, the crystal in the middle of the Star Shard glowed brightly as Sora, Donald, Goofy, Axel, Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey were all engulfed and turned into a shooting star pattern that zipped away, the ten's surprised and shocked screams fading that the light disappeared through the sky out of the Castle That Never Was, through the Lanes In-Between towards the Valley of Peace. The light had also destroyed the Nobodies in the process.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 _ **By the next chapter, we'll be back to the normal Kung Fu Panda story. Don't forget to review!**_


	12. Chapter 12: Secrets Revealed

_**Kingdom Hearts III has been released today! Happy day KH fans! And here's a new chapter. The last one I'll try to have up tomorrow or Thursday. Anyways, let's continue!**_

* * *

Back at the Jade Palace courtyard, Shifu still waited for Sora, Po, and their friend's return. Mr. Ping had stopped by to check on Po since he hadn't seen him for a while. But when Shifu told them that Po went on a rescue mission to an unknown location with Sora, Donald, Goofy, Monkey, and Axel, the goose became more anxious than ever.

"Oh, where could they be?!" cried Mr. Ping.

Shifu sighed as he approached the restaurant owner. Although he was confident his students _(and Axel)_ would return safely, he too was nervous. But he tried to keep himself under control. Unlike Mr. Ping.

"Mr. Ping, I know you're worried. But you need to have faith in your son. Him and his friends will be ok."

"How do you know?!" asked Mr. Ping, worriedly.

Shifu offered a calm smile. "Po's the Dragon Warrior after all, and he's with those who saved your life."

Mr. Ping sighed. "I'm just worried about him... I raised him for 20 years, and with these strange creatures roaming about, as well as a dangerous snow leopard heading this way... I-I just don't know what to do!"

Shifu put his paws on the goose's shoulder. "Po will be fine. He knows kung fu now."

But before Mr. Ping could reply, the two heard what sounded like faint screaming. Mr. Ping and Shifu looked up to see the Star Shard's light fly over the center of the courtyard, before the spell wore off. After the spell wore off, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Axel, Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane,Mantis, and Monkey were left mid-air for a couple of seconds before falling down to the ground, screaming in surprise. They landed on the ground of the courtyard, almost in a dog pile, groaning. Shifu and Mr. Ping starred in shock.

"Ow..." groaned Sora, rubbing the back of his head.

"Was that supposed to happen?" mumbled Donald, rubbing his sore bottom.

"...I think so." groaned Goofy, seeing stars and birds fly around his head.

"Oh man..." groaned Po as he sat up, rubbing the top of his head

Mantis tried to stand as he stumbled a little. "Oh man, I don't know what was worse. This or Tai Lung striking our nerve points..."

"I haven't' had a crash landing like that in years." mumbled Crane as he reached for his hat.

"When was the first?" asked Monkey, rubbing his tail.

"When I was learning how to fly as a baby bird." replied Crane, putting his hat back on his head.

Axel groaned as he layed on the ground. "Oh man. I think I broke my back. I can feel my spine moving." he groaned in pain.

Just then, Viper slithered out from underneath the redhead.

"Sorry Axel, it's just me." she told him.

Axel lifted his head in surprise. "Oh. Well in that case..." he murmured aloud as he let his head drop back to the ground.

Tigress groaned as she got up. "Dear gods, where are we?" she asked.

Viper slithered up to Tigress before looking around and gasped.

"The Jade Palace courtyard!" she exclaimed in surprise. "We're back!"

"We're back?" asked Monkey, also in shock.

"Yeah... we are!" exclaimed Po, excitedly.

"It worked!" cried Sora as he held the Star Shard.

"PO!" cried Mr. Ping before flinging himself into Po.

"Dad?!" exclaimed Po in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I was so worried when you didn't come home! And when Shifu said that you and your friends had to go on a dangerous mission, I was _even more_ worried!" replied Mr. Ping, not letting go of Po. "Oh, I'm so glad your safe!"

Po smiled as he hugged his father back.

Shifu strolled up to the Five as Sora and Goofy helped Axel up to his feet.

"Students." he greeted.

"Master Shifu!" the Furious Five exclaimed, getting up at lightning-speed as they saluted and bowed.

"Master, we're so sorry!" exclaimed Crane.

"We didn't mean to disobey you." apologized Viper.

"Especially me..." sighed Tigress.

Shifu held up his hand, silencing his students and daughter/student. "Although I'm disappointed that you disobeyed me, I should've had more faith in you. Whether or not this was your destiny." He then offered a small smile. "I'm just glad you are all safe. Besides, it _wasn't_ your fault that Tai Lung was working for some of Sora, Donald, and Goofy's enemies."

The Five nodded as Po spoke up. "Um, hey, uh, hate to ruin the moment, but how _exactly_ did we get back here so fast?" he asked, confused.

The Furious Five looked at each other before Viper spoke up.

"Well, Sora used that star-looking thing that seemed vaguely familiar to Donald and Goofy." she quipped.

Po, Shifu, the Five, and even Mr. Ping stared at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, who seem to shift uncomfortably, as they knew they were in trouble now, as they had to break the order to save their friends from the Organization. Axel looked on with slight worry.

"Something tells me that you three haven't been _fully_ honest with us." said Crane, suspiciously.

"Guys?" asked PO.

"Well, um..." began Sora. "You see, the thing is..."

Then Donald leaped up and shut Sora's mouth. "Sora! Order!" he quacked.

Shifu then approached them with a trusting look. "It's ok." he told the travelers, which shocked them. "They were bound to find out, eventually."

"What do you mean 'find out eventually?'" asked Mantis, confused.

"Master?" asked Viper.

"Father?" asked Tigress.

"What's going on?" asked Mr. Ping.

Donald sighed as he let go of Sora's mouth.

"Well..." Sora began, sheepishly. "It's not what it looks like..."

* * *

 _10 minutes later..._

Knowing that they had to tell the truth, Sora, Goofy, even Donald, and even an uncomfortable Axel told Po, Shifu, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, Mantis, and Mr. Ping about where thy came from, the idea of world-traveling, their adventures, Axel's time in the Organization, the plan of said organization, and why they had to keep it a secret, though the redhead left out the part of him kidnapping Kairi to get Sora turned into a Heartless, and Roxas being Sora's Nobody, but did fill in the gaps of Sora, Donald, and Goofy's adventure at Castle Oblivion.

Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, Mantis, and Mr. Ping were surprised and shocked by the story. Even Shifu was surprised too, even though he knew about the other worlds, he was shocked by the four's story of their adventures.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Po. "So let's see if we got this straight; there are other worlds out there, like our own, but different in their own way." He turned to Sora. "You and your friends, Riku and Kairi are form one called Destiny Islands, and the girl is a Princess of Heart." He then turned to Donald and Goofy. "And you two are a court magician and captain of the guards to your friend Mickey, who is also your king in another world known as Disney Town."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded.

"One day, the islands were caught in a storm by a bad man named Ansem, who was the Heartless of an even badder man named Xehanort, but that storm was actually the islands being cast into darkness." continued Mr. Ping. "And your king left the kingdom to investigate, and your queen sent you two to find and help him."

"The three of you eventually ended up in a world called Traverse Town, where you teamed up to look for your friends across the worlds, while also defending them from the Heartless. And eventually, you found Kairi and Riku, but discovered that Riku was tricked by Ansem and a witch named Maleficent to do terrible things, but eventually you helped free him. But later, you three got separated from Riku and Mickey after sealing the door to Kingdom Hearts, and after dropping Kairi off back on the islands, you continued your journey." continued Tigress.

"And according to what Axel said, you three eventually ended up at a place called Castle Oblivion, where your memories were manipulated by a girl named Naminé. But you found out that she was forced to do it by two Nobodies of a group called Organization XIII, named Marluxia and Larxene, so you'd be their puppet to overthrow their leader, Xemnas. But thanks to Axel being a double-agent, their plans were foiled and Naminé was able to restore your memories, but there was a cost: forgetting everything that happened in Castle Oblivion." added Viper.

"You had to sleep for a year so Naminé could restore your memories. And after that year, you continued your journey to find your friends, and eventually, you found out that Kairi went missing from the islands, and now had to find her once again." continued Crane.

"You traveled across the worlds again, and later found out that the Ansem you fought was really an imposter of another man who went missing named, Ansem the Wise. You also discovered that the Organization's leader is Xehanort's Nobody, Xemnas, and thanks to Axel, you learned that the superior's plan is to destroy the Heartless to fill his own version of Kingdom Hearts to gain absolute power, and turn the other members into a single person with different minds, but lied to them so they'd follow them blindly." added Mantis.

"So you revisited the worlds again to stop the Organization's plans, and look for your missing friends. And eventually, you ended up in our world to protect it. But Axel discovered that the Nobodies wanted me, and my teammates, and if they could, Po and Shifu, to be casted into darkness so our pure hearts could fill Kingdom Hearts and our Nobodies serve the Organization." continued Monkey.

"And they broke Tai Lung out of prison so he could help them with their plans." concluded Shifu.

"Yeah, that basically covers it." said Sora, awkwardly.

"And you couldn't tell us because of something called the World Order." added Po.

"Which is meant to keep the balance between worlds." Viper chimed in.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Axel nodded.

"But how come Shifu knew about the order?" asked Mr. Ping.

"Because," Shifu began. "all high-ranked kung fu masters such as me, Chao, Junjie, and the late Oogway knew about it. The first masters of kung fu in this world knew about the existence of other worlds from friends of theirs from the very first Keyblade War, whom they helped out in. We all vowed to keep it a secret, and only pass it on to future masters, such as Po and the Five." He then strode up to the Furious Five. "I was going to tell you when either the day I retired, my time was coming, or when you'd reach the same level of kung fu as I. Which ever came first." he added.

"I see..." murmured Tigress.

"I guess I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time then." muttered Mr. Ping.

Sora sighed. "All the same, we're sorry we lied to you." he told Po, Mr. Ping, and the Five. Donald, Goofy, even Axel, and even Shifu nodded in agreement with guilty looks, though Shifu had his eyes closed as he nodded.

Po, his dad, and the Five looked at each other before smiling.

"Nah, it's ok guys. We understand." said Po.

"Yeah, everyone has their own secrets. Some that just aren't worth sharing." agreed Crane.

"Plus, it was to protect the Order, which was already being broken by the Organization, that witch Maleficent, and that fat cat Pete you mentioned." added Tigress.

"You were just trying to protect us." nodded Viper.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Axel sighed in relief.

"Phew! Glad that's all cleared up." chuckled Axel.

Shifu then cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. They all looked at the red panda.

"Although I'm glad we all trust each other, we have bigger problems to deal with." he reminded.

"Right. Tai Lung." nodded Sora.

"And given that he was able to paralyze the Five at their pressure points, and having the Heartless on his side, it would seem as though he got stronger." Shifu continued.

"Tai Lung? _Stronger_?" gasped Po.

"Yeah. And given that he's already some kung fu expert, combined with the Heartless, he''ll be unstoppable." muttered Axel, folding his arms.

"He can be stopped." assured Shifu. HE turned to Po. "By _you_."

"Are you sure?" asked Mr. Ping, concerned.

"Yes." nodded Shifu.

Po was now suddenly becoming nervous.

"But... I mean... they're five _masters,_ Sora, Donald, and Goofy fight the darkness like no tomorrow across _worlds_ , and Axel's a _freakin' pyro_. I'm just one _me_." argued Po.

"But you will have the one thing that no one else does." remined Shifu.

Po's eyes widened as everyone else glanced at each other.

* * *

Soon, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Axel, Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, and Mr. Ping followed Shifu into the Sacred Hall of Warriors. They all looked up at the dragon statue with the Dragon Scroll in its mouth.

"You really... believe I'm ready?" asked Po, unsure.

Shifu smiled at him. "You are... PO." he replied,

Mr. Ping, Axel, the travelers, and the Five all look at each other. This was a huge moment. The secret of the Dragon scroll was about to be revealed.

Shifu carried Oogway's staff over to the reflecting pool. The new grandmaster of the Jade Palace bowed his head, then, eyes still closed, raised the staff up above his head. Sora, Po, and the others watched, expectantly. Then Shifu whirled the staff. The peach blossom petals in the pool rose in a flickering, spinning cloud up from the pool. The gentle tornado rose up around the ceiling carving that held the Dragon Scroll. The petals loosened the scroll from the dragon's mouth and it fell. At the last second, Shifu reached out with the staff to catch the scroll on the end of it. He turned to Po, holding it out.

"Wow..." Sora whispered in awe.

"Neat." admitted Axel, impressed.

"Behold. The Dragon Scroll... It is yours." said Shifu.

Po reaches for the scroll, but hesitated.

"Wait... what happens when I read it?" he asked, nervously.

"No one knows, but legend says you will be able to hear a butterfly's wing-beat." answered Hsifu, solemly.

"Whoa! _Really_? That's cool." exclaimed Po.

"Yes. And see light in the deepest cave. You will feel the universe in motion around you." added Shifu.

Po began to feel overexcited.

"Wow! Can I punch through walls? Can I do a quadruple back flip? Will I have invisibility-" he bgean.

Sora and his friends all watched the scene with confusion.

"Was he always _this_ excited?" Axel whispered to Mr. Ping.

"Sometimes, but mostly yes." replied the goose.

"Focus." reminded Shifu.

"Huh? Oh, yeah... yeah." muttered Po, calming down.

"Read it, Po, and fulfill your destiny. Read it and become... the Dragon Warrior!" said Shifu.

"Whooaa!" exclaimed Po in awe.

But as Po took the scroll, he struggled to get it open. No matter ho hard he tried.

"It's impossible to open." he muttered, straningly.

He then began trying to bite it off as his dad and friends shared glances.

"Come on baby. Come on now..." groaned Po.

Finally Axel had it.

"Oh for Moogle's sake!" he grumbled. Axel walked over to Po, took the scroll, and effortlessly popped the end off. HE then dusted his hands as he rejoined the watching group.

"Thank you. I probably loosened it up for you though..." muttered Po in thanks. "Okay, here goes." he said aloud.

Po started to unroll the scroll, a golden light bathing his face. Across the scroll, Shifu, excited that he was witnessing history watched on. Sora and his friends all watched from behind, excited as well.

On Po's face as he finishes opening the scroll... then...

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!_ " he screamed.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Axel, Shifu, Mr. Ping, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Monkey looked on started.

Po looked utterly terrified as he then said the unexpected, "It's blank!"

 _This_ was the _last_ thing Shifu expected to hear.

"What?!" he asked in disbelief.

"Huh?!" exclaimed Sora in confusion.

"Blank?" Donald, Goofy, and Axel chorused, also in confusion.

"Here! Look!" said Po, trying to show Shifu the scroll.

Shifu covered his eyes and turned his head away.

"No! I am forbidden to look upon..." he began, but Shifu couldn't help himself. He took a peek. Then he grabbed it off Po. He turned it around, then upside down. He closed and opened it again, astonished.

" _Blank_? I don't...I don't understand." he muttered out loud.

Shifu turned away, contemplative. What could this mean?

Sora and his friends all sighed in defeat.

"Aw phooey!" grumbled Donald.

"Great." grumbled Axel.

"All of that hard work... just to find out the scroll was _blank_." growled Tigress, bitterly.

"What a ripoff!" groaned Mantis.

"Okay. So like, Oogway... was just a crazy old turtle after all?" guessed Po in disappointment.

"No, Oogway was wiser than any of us." replied Shifu, still confused.

"Oh, come on! Face it. He picked me by accident." argued Po. "Of course I'm not the Dragon Warrior." he muttered to himself as he sat on the floor. "Who am I kidding?" he groaned softly.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Axel, Tigress, Mantis, Crane, Viper, Monkey, and Mr. Ping looked at Po with sympathy.

"Aww..." sighed Donald and Goofy together.

"That's gotta sting." sighed Axel.

Sora walked over to Po. "We're sorry Po." he said sadly.

Po gave Sora a small, but still sad smile.

"But who will stop Tai Lung?" asked Tigress.

"He'll destroy everything... and everyone." added Crane.

"Not only that, but he'll be the ticket Xemnas needs to cast this world into darkness." added Axel.

Shifu put the scroll back into it's case and handed it back to Po.

"No." he said firmly as Shifu addressed Axel, Mr. Ping, and all of his students with, oddly, a calm expression on his face. "Evacuate the Valley. You must protect the villagers from Tai Lung's rage and the darkness."

"What about you master?" asked Tigress.

"I will fight him." replied Shifu.

Everyone else gasped in shock.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Donald, Goofy, and Mr. Ping together.

"Are you crazy?!" exclaimed Sora.

"I can hold him off long enough for everyone to escape." Shifu told them.

"But Shifu... he'll kill you." exclaimed Po, softly.

"And if he doesn't, he'll cast you into darkness." added Axel, grimly. "Like I mentioned before, you and your students were targets in the Organization's eyes. If you get casted into the darkness, your Heartless will fill Kingdom Hearts, and your Nobody will end up becoming Xemnas' pawn."

Shifu looked at everybody with a sad smile. "Then I will have finally paid for my mistake."

Sora, Po, Donald, Goofy, Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, Viper, and even Axel and Mr. Ping looked at Shifu, devastated.

Shifu turned to address each group, starting with the Five.

"Monkey, Mantis, Crane, and Viper, you were my greatest students. Tigress, you weren't just that, but you were also a great _daughter_. Adopting you from that orphanage was one of the _greatest_ decisions I ever made in my life."

Tigress and her team smiled sadly.

Shifu turned to Po.

"Po, I am every truly sorry that I doubted you. Oogway knew what he was doing when he chose you to become the Dragon Warrior. You proved to me that even those who look incapable, _are_ capable of doing great things."

Po smiled sadly as Shifu turned to Mr. Ping.

"Although I haven't known you very long Mr. Ping, you truly did raise a good son. He as a good heart, thanks to you."

Mr. Ping smiled sadly as Shifu turned to Axel.

"Axel, although you were a part of the bad guys, it wasn't by choice. And you truly proved yourself as a good guy by helping rescue my daughter and her friends from the Organization. And by that, I thank you."

Axel nodded as Shifu turned to the last group.

"Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Like Po and the Five, you proved to me that I need to have more faith in my students, that they will never be as good as Tai Lung. And that's good thing. I thank you for helping rescue my students. And like Po and even Axel, you were worthy to become kung fu masters just like the Five. Keep on protecting the worlds, and I hope you find Riku, Kairi, and his majesty King Mickey safe and sound."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded with sad expressions.

Shifu then addressed everyone. "Listen to me, all of you. It is time for you to continue your journey without me. I am _very_ proud to have been your master." He then saluted and bowed.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, and the Furious Five did the same. And even though he wasn't their master, Axel and Mr. Ping respectfully did the same.

Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were heartbroken as Shifu turned away. Crane stepped forward and kindly put a wing around Po, pulling him away. Po resisted for a moment, then reluctantly left with the Five and his dad.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stayed for a few more seconds, still sad that Shifu was willing to sacrifice himself. It was like being separated form their friends all over again. Even Axel was upset to leave. Even though he hadn't known Shifu personally, he respected the guy. But still, it almost felt like he was losing Roxas and even Isa again.

Soon, Donald and Goofy followed the residents of the world as Sora turned to Axel.

"You gonna help us evacuate the town?" he asked.

Axel nodded. "Might as well."

The two spiky-hair-heads then joined the anthropomorphic animals as they left Shifu alone in the palace.

* * *

That night, the Sora, Donald, Goofy, Axel, Po, and the Five arrived at the base of the stairs, where the villagers were already scrambling to get out of the valley.

"We've got to get them out safely." said Tigress.

Monkey picked up a small child. "Come, little one. Let's find your mama _."_ he told the child as he leaped away.

"Viper, gather the southern farmers. Mantis, the north. Crane, light the way." ordered Tigress.

Nodding, Viper and Mantis took off. Tigress handed Crane a lamp as the bird flew over the villagers to the front to guide them to safety.

Tigress turned to Po, Axel, and the world-travelers.

"Po, help your dad. Sora, Donald, and Goofy, stick with him." ordered Tigress.

The four nodded as they rushed to MR. Ping's shop.

"Axel, you're with me." instructed Tigress.

Axel nodded as he stood by Tigress's side, chakrams in his hands in case he had to use them. He then teleported himself and Tigress to the front to lead the evacuation.

Meanwhile, Sora, Po, Donald, and Goofy made it to the restaurant as Mr. Ping finished packing up.

"You ready to go Mr. Ping?" asked Donald.

"Ready as I'll ever be." replied the goose.

Soon, they were walking among the evacuation. Po took the cart for his dad, while he, Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked on either side.

"So for our next shop, it's time to face it... the future of noodles is dice-cut vegetables, no longer slices." said Mr. Ping, unaware that Po was slowing down. Sora, Donald, and Goofy noticed this, and stood by him.

"Also, I was thinking, maybe this time we'll have a kitchen you can actually stand up in. Hmm? You like that?" asked Mr. Ping.

He turns and noticeed that Po had stopped following. He walks back to his son sympathetically, joining Sora and Co. in the sympathy party.

"Er, Po... I'm sorry things didn't work out. It just... wasn't meant to be." sighed Mr. Ping.

"Yeah, I really thought this was your destiny." sighed Sora.

"But hey, you know kung fu now. Wasn't that your life-long dream?" asked Goofy.

"I guess..." sighed Po.

"Come on Po, don't give up hope. You don't need a scroll to tell you that you're special." said Donald, patting the panda's back.

"They're right." nodded Mr. Ping. "Po, forget everything else. Your destiny still awaits. We are noodle folk... broth runs deep through our veins!" he added.

"I don't know, guys." sighed Po. "I just don't know who I really am anymore. Honestly, sometimes I can't believe I'm actually your son."

This took Mr. Ping and even Sora, Donald, and Goofy aback. The goose sighed.

"Po, I think it's time I told you something I should have told you a long time ago..." he began.

"Okay..." sighed Po.

Mr Ping paused dramatically before saying... "The secret ingredient of my secret ingredient soup!"

Po feigned excitement."Oh."

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Donald, suspiciously.

His response was his fellow bird winking at him as he looked back at Po.

"C'mere!" he then turned to Sora and his friends. "You three too!"

Shrugging, Sora and Goofy joined in. Donald sighed as he joined too.

"The secret ingredient is... _nothing_!" said Mr. Ping.

This took the four friends completely by surprise.

" _Huh_?" asked Po confused.

"Really nothing?" asked Goofy, confused.

"You heard me. Nothing. There is no secret ingredient!" nodded Mr. Ping.

"Wait wait wait...it's just plain old noodle soup? You don't add some kind of special sauce or something?" asked Po, still incredulous.

"Don't have to. To make something special, you just have to _believe_ it's special." replied Mr. Ping with a true smile.

Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at Mr. Ping with dawning realization. Po picked up the scroll and he and his friends looked down at the golden reflective surface. For a moment, the four stared at their reflection on the scroll, before their eyes widened.

"There is no secret ingredient..." murmured Po.

" _That's_ the _true_ secret of the Dragon scroll!" exclaimed Sora, excitedly.

Po looked up at the Jade Palace. He felt something beat in his heart. Courage, motivation, and determination.

"I know what to do." he said, determined.

"And we'll help you." said Sora.

Po turned to Sora in confusion.

"It may be your destiny to defeat Tai Lung, but it's also our job to protect worlds from being consumed by darkness. Let us help you." said Sora, holding out his hand.

Po looked at Sora before smiling as the two shook on it. Donald and Goofy traded smiling glances.

Po turned towards his dad.

"We're gonna save this world. Our home."

Mr. Ping smiled. "Good luck son. To you and your friends." he said encouragingly.

Po hugged his dad in thanks as he joined Sora, Donald, and Goofy, and they made their way back towards the Jade Palace.

Mr. Ping watched them go. He then looked at his cart and sighed as he joined in the evacuation, leaving his business behind.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the front of the evacuation, Tigress and Axel continued to lead the villagers out of the town gates as Crane came flying back up.

"I checked the evacuation, there's no sign of Po, Sora, Donald, and/or Goofy anywhere." he reported, worriedly.

"What?! Where could they be?" asked Tigress. She turned towards Axel. "Axel-" she began.

"Way ahead of ya." came the reply as Axel vanished away.

* * *

At the bottom of the stairs, Sora, Donald, Goofy and Po looked up towards the tall building as storm clouds rolled in. But just before they could move, Axel teleported right in front of them.

"Axel!" gasped Goofy.

"What do you four think you're doing?" asked Axel, raising an eyebrow.

"We're going to stop Tai Lung!" replied Po with courage in his voice.

Axel gasped. "Are you nuts?!"

Sora shook his head. "Maybe, but it's Po's destiny to stop that dangerous snow leopard, and it's our job to protect this world!" he told the redhead. He then smiled. "Besides, if we can handle many of the Organization members, including one that tried to manipulate our memories, then we can handle Tai Lung as well."

"Plus, we know kung fu!" added Donald with courage.

"And we've been through far worse as far as I can remember!" added Goofy.

Axel couldn't help but smirk. That was true. Sora was able to defeat Vexen easily, and with Donald, and Goofy, they were able to defeat Zexion and himself easily, and destroy Larxene, Marluxia, Demyx, and Xaldin. Plus, they were able to defeat three Organization members in one day during a rescue mission. And he had seen them and Po train hard and use their kung fu moves amazingly.

"Very well then. Guess I can't stop ya. Take care, and good luck to you four." Axel smirked as he teleported away.

The four friends looked at each other before shrugging as then ran up the stairs to stop their enemy.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tigress, Crane, and Viper Monkey, & Mantis, who had recently rejoined their teammates waited anxiously outside the gates to the village with the townsfolk pouring out of it.

"Where are they?" asked Viper, worried.

"We need to get moving _now_." nodded Monkey.

Just then, Axel appeared in front of them.

"Axel, where are Po and the travelers?" asked Tigress.

The Nobody only smirked. "They've gone back to stop Tai Lung."

"WHAT?!" the Five gasped in shock.

"Tai Lung will kill them!" cried Crane.

"He was able to defeat _us_!" added Mantis.

"What were they thinking?!" cried Monkey.

"We have to help!" said Tigress with determination.

But before any of them could move, Axel held out his arm to stop them. "No. You heard what Shifu said. We need to evacuate the town."

"But what about Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy?" asked Viper, worried.

Axel smirked. "Don't worry. They can handle themselves. Trust me, I've seen it."

 _To be concluded..._

* * *

 _ **Rate and review! And be on the lookout for the next chapter!**_


	13. Chapter 13: Saving the Valley of Peace

_**Final Chapter in this story! I hope you've enjoyed reading it! And yes, there will be Kingdom Hearts crossover stories with Kung Fu Panda's 2 and 3. But in the words of Victor Tanzig, "That's a story for another day." Enjoy!**_

* * *

As the storm clouds blasted their thunder and lightning, Shifu stood at the top of the stairs outside the Hall of Warriors, looking upon the valley, awaiting his fate. In the valley below, the lights from the evacuation made their way out of the valley. In a blink of Shifu's eyes, Tai Lung appeared before him, several Heartless lingering behind him on the stairs.

"I have come home... Master." said Tai Lung.

Shifu stood firm. "This is no longer your home. And I am no longer your master."

"Yes. You have a new favorite." muttered Tai Lung. "So where is this... Po? And his world-traveling friends? _(chuckles)_ Did I scare them off?" he asked, mockingly.

"This battle is between you and me." said Shifu.

Tai Lung snorted as he turned his back on his adopted father. "So... That is how it's going to be?

"That is how it _must_ be." replied Shifu firmly, as he took a fighting position.

Tai Lung snorted as he motioned for the Heartless to the village. The creatures of darkness did so. Then, Tai Lung turned back towards Shifu, and attacked.

The two battled fiercely. Tai Lung punched Shifu clean through the doors of the Jade Palace. Shifu recovered himself quickly and faced his former student. Tai Lung entered, his face a mask of pure fury.

"I rotted in jail for twenty years because of _your_ weakness!" he growled.

"Obeying your master is not weakness!" retorted Shifu.

"You knew I was the Dragon Warrior!" shouted the snow leopard.

* * *

 _Flashback:_

 _In the Hall of Warriors, Shifu presented Tai Lung to Master Oogway, King Mickey, Yen Sid, Master Eraqus, Master Xehanort, and Ansem the Wise. Both a slightly younger Tai Lung and Shifu look expectant. Oogway, Yen Sid, Eraqus, and Ansem gave Shifu a look. Shifu was dismayed as Mickey patted the red panda's shoulder. But Xehanort looked at Tai Lung with keen interest, though he tried to hide it as well. Tai Lung's voice is heard._

" _You always knew. Master Xehanort did too... But, when Oogway, Ansem, and those two pathetic keyblade masters said otherwise, what did you do? What did you do?!"_

 _Tai Lung looks to Shifu who averts his eyes._

 _End of flashback._

* * *

 _Present day:_

" _NOTHING!"_ growled the snow leopard.

"You were not meant to be the Dragon Warrior! That was not my fault!" shouted Shifu.

Tai Lung was now very cross as he pointed at his former master. "NOT YOUR FAULT?!"

Enraged, Tai Lung knocked over the kung fu artifacts and throws them at Shifu.

"WHO FILLED MY HEAD WITH DREAMS?! WHO DROVE ME TO TRAIN UNTIL MY BONES CRACKED?! WHO DENIED ME MY _DESTINY_?!" yelled the feline.

Shifu dodged each attack with ease. Tai Lung kicked a sword at him, and Shifu countered it and redirected it into the floor.

"It was never my decision to make!" growled the red panda.

Tai Lung growls and leaps for the next artifact. He paused as recognized Oogway's staff. Realizing what this meant, he picked it up and faced Shifu.

"It is now." she said darkly.

Angered, Shifu finally went on the offensive. They fought _very_ hard. Tai Lung pinned Shifu down with the staff by the throat.

"Give... me... the scroll!" he growled.

"I would rather _die!"_ Shifu spat back.

They struggled for a beat until finally, the staff snapped in half. Shifu looked back at the pieces, horrified, and a flutter of peach tree petals flew by. Caught off guard, Shifu got kicked by Tai Lung into the wall. Shifu jumped from column to column, pursued by Tai lung. Shifu eventually jumped to the rafters and Tai Lung followed and sent them both crashing through the roof. Lightning flashed as Shifu briefly gets the upper hand mid-air before Tai Lung got his paws around Shifu's throat as they crashed back through the roof.

Back inside, they kicked apart. Shifu crashed into a column, falling to the floor and landed hard. Tai Lung bounced off the wall, knocking a lantern to the floor. Blue flames went everywhere. Tai Lung's arms were aflame as he charged at Shifu with a roar. Shifu struggled to block his punches.

" _All I ever did, I did to make you proud! Tell me how proud you are, Shifu! Tell me! TELL ME!_ " demanded Tai Lung as he kept on fighting.

 _ **THOOM!**_

A fiery punch sent Shifu skidding across the floor and crashing against the reflecting pool. The flames extinguished and Tai Lung stalked forward. Shifu weakly lifted himself slightly.

"I... have _always_ been proud of you. From the first moment, I've been... proud of you." he admitted weakly.

Tai Lung stopped in his tracks.

"And it was my pride... that blinded me. I loved you too much to see what you were becoming. What _I_... was turning you into... I'm... I'm sorry." finished Shifu, guiltily.

Tai Lung hesitated. Shifu waited. After a long moment... Tai Lung's expression went cold. He grabbed Shifu by the throat.

"I don't want your _apology_... I want my _scroll_!" he growled.

He lifted Shifu up to the ceiling. Tai Lung looked up towards the scroll... and finally saw that it is missing.

"What?" he gasped. "WHERE IS IT?!" Tai Lung demanded as he slammed Shifu to the floor with enough force to crack the stone.

Struggling, Shifu managed to reply, in a strangled tone, "Dragon Warrior and travelers have taken scroll halfway across China by... now. _(_ _Coughs)_ You will never see that _scroll_ , Tai Lung."

Tai Lung unsheathed his claws.

"Never! _N-never_..." moaned Shifu, weakly.

Shifu began to pass out. Tai Lung snarled, ready to strike Shifu. Suddenly...

" _Hold it right there!"_

Tai Lung stopped, still holding Shifu as he turned around to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy standing in front of the doorway, Kingdom Key, staff, and shield in hands, with determined looks on their faces. It had been Sora who spoke.

" Would have been here sooner, but some Heartless coming down the stairs occupied our time." said Sora before his tone went firm. "Let the master _go_!"

"Who are you?" asked Tai Lung.

"The one's who are gonna help the Dragon Warrior kick your tail!" answered Donald.

"We're the travelers the Organization told you about!" added Goofy.

Tai Lung looked at them in disbelief. " _You_?!"

"Yeah, we're kung fu masters too!" said Sora. "Master Sora!"

"Master Donald!" added Donald.

"And Master Goofy!" concluded Goofy.

Tai Lung still looked incredulous at the three. " _You three_ are the world travelers Xigbar, Saïx, and Luxord told me about?" he then chuckled darkly. "Pathetic. You're just a teen, duck, and dog in cosplay!" he scoffed.

"Hey!" shouted Donald, offended.

"We're more than that!" added Goofy.

"But enough about us. Let us introduce the one who's destiny is to defeat you!" said Sora.

With that, Sora and Co. moved to the side and extended their weapons towards the doorway.

"May I present to you, Po Ping! The Dragon Warrior!" announced Sora.

As if on cue, panting noises could be heard as Po struggled up the stairs. He then entered through the doorway.

" _Huff_... _huff_... _huff_... Stairs... _huff_..." panted Po.

Sora and Donald face-palmed in embarrassment as Goofy looked on, surprised.

" _Who_ are _you_?" asked Tai Lung in disbelief.

"Buddy... I... am the Dragon Warrior! _(_ _exhales hard) Huhhh_..." answered and panted Po.

"Told ya." smirked Sora.

Tai Lung was in amused disbelief.

" _You_?! _Him_?!" he asked Shifu in disbelief before he casted the red panda asideaside _._ "He's a panda." He turned back to Po and the travelers. "You're a panda. What are you gonna do, big guy? _Sit on me_?" he asked.

"Don't tempt me. Haha." said Po. "No. I'm gonna use _this_!" he answered as he held out the scroll. "You want it? Come and get it." he taunted

Then from out of nowhere, Tai Lung punched Po across the room, grabbing the scroll knocked from Po's paws. "PO!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy shouted in unison. "Finally... AH!" exclaimed Tai Lung before Po suddenly bounced off a nearby pillar and slammed back into the snow leopard, sending him flying into a column. Tai Lung recovered, astonished. Surprised that he had actually landed a blow, Po put on a brave face and struck a pose. "Whoo! Nice job Po!" congratulated Sora as he, Donald, and Goofy applauded. Tai Lung charged at Po on all fours. Po turned to run. "Oh... WOW!" exclaimed Po in slow-mo. Tai Lung quickly caught up and they both sailed off the palace steps. "Let's go guys!" shouted Sora as he leaped after them. Nodding. Donald and Goofy joined in. Po clung to the scroll as Tai Lung delivered a punch and sends him crashing onto the arena rooftops below and bouncing off into a tree. Tai Lung roared and pounced; Po rolled down off a tree and used the recoil to whip back and smash Tai Lung. He briefly skidded across the rooftop and came right back at Po. He knocked Po down the long flight of stairs, and chased after him. "That scroll is mine!" shouted Tai Lung. "No is isn't!" shouted Sora as he, Donald, and Goofy slammed into Tai Lung. Down the stairs, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Po, and Tai Lung grappled for the scroll. The four friends were oblivious to the effects of crashing down stairs and in slow motion, Po's voluminous butt pressed down on Tai Lung's head. As they crashed through the gateway to the village, the scroll was knocked loose. The four friends were separated from Tai Lung as Po crashed into a noodle cart. Tai Lung went for the scroll but Sora tried slashing him with his keyblade. Tai Lung was able to block some attacks, but that didn't stop Sora from kicking the snow leopard in the stomach. Donald leaped into the air, and caught the scroll. "Po! Catch!" he shouted as he threw the scroll towards the Dragon Warrior. "No!" shouted Tai Lung ash he shoved Sora to the side. Tai Lung tried to leap up to catch the scroll, but Po snatched it away using a noodle lasso. The scroll flew towards him and bounced off his head. Tai Lung leaped for it, but Po grabbed his tail and pulled him back down onto a cart which see-sawed Po into the air. In mid-air, Po slurped the noodle. The scroll lands inside a lantern, tumbles out and rolls to a stop in the street. Up and over the rooftops, Po landed in a grove of bamboo trees and into a nearby wok shop and came out on two tall ones as of he was on stilts. Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran up next to him. As Tai Lung made his move on the scroll, Goofy sent his shield into Tai Lung's face, knocking him to the side. Quickly, Sora and Donald tossed several overturned woks over to where the scroll was, one covering it. Just as Tai Lung regained his focus, Po leaped into the center of all the woks, and turned the scene into a shell game, sliding the woks around at top speed to hide the scroll.

"Lightning! Whoo!" cheered Po.

Tai Lung growled as he knocked the woks away and exposed the scroll.

"Ahhh!" shrieked Po.

Po used his bamboo stilts to block Tai Lung as tries to grab the scroll. The leopard swiped out the stilts and grabbed the scroll... bringing Po down on top of him as the scroll is knocked out his paws and Sora quickly caught it as he, Donald, and Goofy ran down the street. Infuriated, Tai Lung thew Po into a fireworks stand, leaped forward, and kicked Sora to the side, making the scroll fall out of his hands, and roll down the street.

Quickly, Goofy picked up Sora over his shoulder and the two joined up with Donald and went over to Po, who seemed to have an idea.

Tai Lung was chasing after the scroll when...

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA!"_

Po came speeding up on the cart, propelled by a motherlode of fireworks. Sora Donald, and Goofy rode on top, holding on for dear life as they screamed in excitement, Donald and Goofy holing onto both the cart and their hats.

"Ride 'em, cowboy!" screamed Sora, excitedly.

They slammed through Tai Lung, Po grabbed the scroll... and they crashed into a rock wall.

The scroll flew out of Po's paw and landed in the mouth of an ornamental rooftop dragon. The four gathered in front of the wall, and noticed Tai Lung, who saw where the scroll has landed and restarted his pursuit. Po imagined the scroll as a cookie, and then effortlessly scales the building.

Sora Donald and Goof did the same thing, but envisioned Riku, Kairi, and Mickey on top of the ornamental roof top Dragon, before they too effortlessly sclaed the building like Po.

Tai Lung was shocked.

"The scroll has given him power! NOOOOOOOO!" he shrieked as he gave chase.

Tai Lung took a giant leap and kicked the wall of the building, causing it to crumble. Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy struggled to reach the scroll as they were chased by Tai lung, though managed to keep the leopard at bay by kicking dozens of roof tiles into his face. Sora grabbed Donald's arm and tossed him into the air. The mage caught the scroll. Goofy leaped into the air as Donald tossed the scroll to him. As they flew through the air, Goofy threw the scroll to Sora, who uppercutted it back to Po with his foot, who caught it in his paws... just as Tai Lung leaped up behind him and unleashed a punishing blow that sent Po smashing into the ground outside Mr. Ping's noodle shop. Shocked at what happened to their friend, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were distracted as Tai Lung punched and kicked them into several buildings before diving down towards Po. As he descended, he delivered a final devastating punch, sending up a huge mushroom cloud.

After coming out of the debris they landed in, Sora, Donald, and Goofy, staggered back to where the crater was, panting heavily, clothes scratched, and their hair, feathers, & fur messed up.

As the dust settled, Tai Lung was looming over a stunned Po in the impact crater. He picked up the scroll. He relished at having the secret to limitless power in his grasp at last.

"Finally... oh yes... the power of the Dragon Scroll... is... MINE!" Tai Lung exclaimed, happily.

He opens the scroll... and his triumph turns to horror as he stares at the blank surface. "It's NOTHING!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Looks like he learned the _hard_ way..." Sora panted quietly to his friends, who nodded as they tried to help Po up.

"It's okay. I didn't get it the first time either." said Po.

"What?" asked Tai Lung in disbelief.

"There is no secret ingredient." explained Po.

Tai Lung tossed down the scroll in anger. Sora, Po, Donald, and Goofy looked down at the scroll and gazed at their reflections.

"It's just you." explained Sora, getting his breath back. " _That's_ the secret of the Dragon Scroll."

Tai Lung looks at the scroll... then snarled and lunged at Po.

"RRRAAAH!" he roared.

"AAAAGGGHH!" cried Po.

"Po look out!" shouted Sora.

Too late. Tai Lung struck Sora, Donald, and Goofy to the side of the crater before he struck Po's nerve points in a last effort borne out of frustration. Po collapsed to the ground... and began laughing. Tai Lung looked down at his paw in confusion and struck Po again. And again... and again... Even Sora, Donald, and Goofy were confused as they layed again the crater, getting their energy back.

"He's striking Po's nerve points, how is he not getting paralyzed?" asked Donald.

"Gawrsh, maybe it's because Po's big belly is acting like some sort of force field." guessed Goofy.

"Oh I get it! His body fat is preventing any nerve points from being struck into paralization. Like a cushion of some kind." said Sora.

As they got back up, they could still hear Po laughing from the experience shouting, "...Don't! Don't!" Frustrated, Tai lung delivered a double-fisted punch to Po's belly. The shockwave rippled through Po's entire body and his arms came back and stuck Tai Lung, sending the snow leopard crashing back into the noodle shop.

Po looked at his paws, amazed at what he just did.

"Wow!" gasped Donald in amazement. "Nice job Po!" congratulated Goofy.

"Thanks! I didn't know I had it in me!" thanked Po, still amazed. Just then, the four friends looked to see Tai Lung walk back towards then, a dark aura flowing around him. And he did _not_ look happy.

"Uh... why's Tai Lung like that?" asked Po, nervous.

"I think he's been turned into some sort of Heartless!" exclaimed Goofy.

"He's basically his own Heartless!" added Donald.

"Just like Maleficent, Clayton, Hades, Shan-Yu, Scar, and Xehanort!" exclaimed Sora.

Po then had a determined look on his face as he got into a fighting stance.

"Let's finish this!" said a determined Po.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded as they got into fighting stances with their weapons ready.

 _(Xemnas Boss Battle from Kingdom Hearts II plays)_

 _Mission: Defeat Tai Lung_

 _Party Members:  
Sora_

 _Donald Duck_

 _Goofy_

 _Po_

The fight began. Tai Lung roared and jumped forward, but Sora managed to strike him with his keyblade. Donald then casted a thunder spell, which hit Tai Lung. Furious, the snow leopard got up again, but Po managed to punch and kick him from behind. Tai Lung was about to punch back, but Goofy bashed him with his shield.

Tai Lung lunged forwards, but Sora grabbed his arm, and tossed him over his shoulder. While the snow leopard was on the ground, Donald casted a lightning spell. Tai Lung got up again and was about to swing kick, but Po grabbed him mid-air, and swung him to the side, where the feline was hit by Goofy's shield.

Sora then casted a perla spell towards Tai Lung, but the cat managed to avoid it, only to get side-kicked by Po. As Tai Lung got up again, Goofy sweep-kicked him to the ground. Once again as Tai Lung got up, he was struck three more times by Sora's keyblade.

Donald then lunged forward and punched Tai Lung in the face twice before kicking him in the stomach. Goofy then fist-punched the snow leopard in the side, before kicking him to the side. Sora then uppercutted Tai Lung with his foot into the air for a moment. Po then used this chance to grab Tai Lung's tail win mid-air and began using it to spin the snow leopard around. Tai Lung tried to lung back for Po, but ended up missing each time and got hit himself by Sora, Donald, and Goofy's kung fu moves. At one point, Po moved the cat's tail in between their faces, making Tai Lung accidentally bite it, making him roar in pain.

Po then swung Tai Lung to the ground.

Tai Lung then began to get consumed in darkness even more as Sora, Po, Donald, and Goofy regrouped. Tai Lung then got up, and looked like he was ready to strike again. Sora then closed his eyes before appearing in his white Final Form, Oathkeeper and Oblivion floating behind him.

Quickly, Sora charged towards Tai Lung, keyblades ready. He started using Final Strike first against the snow leopard. Then as Tai Lung leaped towards him, Sora quickly used Crime and Punishment to defend him self. Finally, before Tai Lung could do anything else, Sora unleashed Auto Final to finish him off.

 _(Xemnas Boss Battle from Kingdom Hearts II ends)_

Tai Lung fell to the ground, flat on his back, defeated. Sora landed softly on the ground with his friends. His keyblades were dismissed, but he was still in Final Form.

"Now that was totally awesome!" exclaimed Po like a fanboy.

Sora chuckled. "Thanks."

Just then, the four heard moaning as Tai Lung suddenly stood up, and staggered towards the four. battered, but still defiant.

"You... can't defeat me..." he panted as the four friends looked at him, unafraid. "You three... are just... _pathetic wastes_... and you... you're just a big... fat... _panda_!"

Tai Lung lunged one last time towards Po, but not before he, Sora, Donald, and Goofy each grabbed one of the paw's fingers. Tai Lung's eyes went wide.

"First of all, we're not pathetic wastes." said Sora, firmly.

"Yeah, we're heroes! And kung fu masters! We protect lives from villains like _you_!" added Donald.

"We do what's right!" nodded Goofy.

"And second, I'm not a big, fat panda... I'm THE big, fat panda!" said Po, with a dangerous smirk.

Smug looks went on Sora, Donald, and Goofy's faces as well as they and Po each raised their pinky fingers at the same time. Tai Lung gasped.

"The Wuxi-Finger Hold!" he exclaimed, terrified.

"Oh you know this hold?" asked Po, smugly.

"Imagine what would happen if it was done by _four_ instead of one." teased Donald, smugly.

"Guess we'll just have to test it out. A-hyuck!" chuckled Goofy.

"You're bluffing... _you're bluffing_! Shifu didn't teach you that!" pleaded Tai Lung.

"Nope..." began Sora.

Tai Lung looked hopeful until...

"...we figured it out." finished the keyblade wielder with a smug smile.

Tai Lung's eyes widened.

" _Skadoosh!_ " exclaimed Po as he, Sora, Donald, and Goofy flexed their pinkies.

* * *

Meanwhile, on a hillside, Axel and the Furious Five continued to lead the evacuation.

"I hope the others are ok." commented Viper, worriedly.

"We all do." nodded Monkey.

Crane put his wing around the snake. "Don't worry. If they can handle Shifu's training, and take down three Organization members, then they can handle Tai Lung." he said, reassuringly.

Axel chuckled. "Since when were you this optimistic?" he asked, playfully.

"I guess we all have a little bit of you, Po, Sora, Donald, Goofy in us." chuckled Crane.

Mantis was about to speak up, when he saw something in the distance in the village. It was explosion of golden, rippling energy.

"Guys look!" he exclaimed, pointing toward the valley.

Axel, Tigress, Crane, Monkey, Viper, and the villagers looked in Mantis' direction to see the wave of energy, which swept past them.

"Holy Irfrit, what the heck was that?!" exclaimed Axel.

"We're about to find out." said Tigress. "Everyone, back to the village!"

The villagers complied as they rushed back to their homes. Axel and the Five followed suite.

* * *

Sometime later, Axel, the Furious Five, and the villagers returned to the village, which was engulfed in a cloud of golden dust.

"Wonder what happened." said Crane, curiously.

Then, Viper spotted something. "Look!" she exclaimed.

Through the dust came Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" exclaimed Viper in relief.

"You're ok!" exclaimed Monkey.

"Aw shucks, of course we are. A-hyuck!" chuckled Goofy.

"Yeah, we don't go down that easily!" added Donald.

"Nice Final Form attire, Sora." commented Axel with a smile.

Sora chuckled. "Thanks, Axel."

Although she was happy to see the world-travelers ok, Tigress was still concerned. "Where's Po?" she asked.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy exchanged mischievous looks before Sora spoke out to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Valley of Peace, may we present to you, Po Ping! The Dragon Warrior!" he announced as he, Donald, and Goofy joined the crowd.

Approaching the crowd was an obscured figure. When he neared them, it was revealed that it was Po, wearing an upside down wok as a hat, and a torn apron as a scarf. Po coughed and removed the apron. Axel, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, Mantis, and the villagers stared at Po for a moment... before cheering for the Dragon Warrior. Mr. Ping emerged from the crowd.

"That's my boy! That big, lovely kung fu warrior is my son!" cheered Mr. Ping.

Po smiled as he hugged his dad. "Thanks dad."

The wok fell off Po's head and rolled on the ground until Mantis stopped it. The rest of the Five, along with Axel were with him. They _(bar Axel)_ were no longer staring at him with disdain. Po took notice as Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood by him.

Tigress approached the four with a smile on her face, before saluting and bowing. "Masters."

"Masters." said the rest of the Five, and even Axel as they along with the rest of the village slauted and bowed.

"Pfft, Masters?" asked Sora, flattered.

"Aw shucks, you're making us blush." giggled Goofy, waving it off.

"Thank you!" thanked Donald, feeling pleased.

"Master?" asked Po, modestly, but secretly pleased.

Suddenly, Sora remembered something as he gasped.

"Master Shifu!" he cried.

Po, Donald, and Goofy's eyes widened as they and Sora rushed back to the palace. Knowing something was wrong, the Five, along with Axel and Mr. Ping joined them.

* * *

At the Jade Palace, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Axel, Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, and Mr. Ping entered, before they skidded to a stop and gasped when they saw Shifu still lying in the scroll room, his eyes closed.

"Shifu!" Axel and Mr. Ping exclaimed together.

"Master!" Sora, Po, Donald, Goofy, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis exclaimed together.

" _Father_!" gasped Tigress.

Quickly, Sora, Po, Donald, Goofy, and Tigress rushed to the red panda's side.

"Shifu! Are you ok? Say something!" cried Sora.

"Po... Sora... Donald... Goofy... Tigress... you're alive..." Shifu exclaimed weakly before his tone turned dark. "Or we're all dead."

"No, Master, we didn't die. We defeated Tai Lung!" said Sora.

"You did?" asked Shifu, astonished.

"Yeah." answered Donald softly as Axel, Mr. Ping, and the rest of the Five gathered around the others with worried expressions on their faces.

"And the rest of us protected the village." added Tigress.

Shifu smiled as he became filled with inner peace.

"Wow... It is as Oogway... foretold. You _are_... the Dragon Warrior. And you three are the... heroic travelers. You have brought peace... to this Valley... and... and to me. Thank you... thank you, Po... Sora... everyone... thank you... thank you... thank..."

Shifu closed his eyes and became still. Everyone stared at him for a long moment and gasped.

"Oh no..." gasped Viper.

"Uh oh..." muttered Axel

"Father..." Tigress gasped sadly, before closing her eyes.

"Ohhh... Master..." sobbed Donald.

"This is not happening. It can't be happening... it can't." sobbed Sora.

Everyone else bowed their heads, heartbroken. Po began to freak out.

"No... Master! No, no, no! Don't die, Shifu, please..." he begged.

Suddenly, Shifu's eyes snapped open.

"I'm not dying, you idio... ah... Dragon Warrior.' he replied angrily before calming down andclosedhis eyes and smiled serenely. "I'm simply... at peace. _Finally_..."

Everyone sighed in relief.

"Oh... So, um, I should... stop talking?" asked Po.

"If you can." answered Shifu.

Nodding, Po, Sora, Tigress, Donald, and Goofy joined Axel, Mr. Ping, and the Five.

"Looks like this place is safe." commented Axel.

"Yes indeed." smiled Viper as she wrapped herself lovingly around Crane, who smiled.

Tigress looked towards Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy and smiled. "You four truly are kung fu masters."

Sora and Po chuckled while Donald and Goofy smiled. "Thanks Master Tigress." thanked Sora.

Tigress smiled some more. "No need for the 'Master' title." she told them kindly.

"Yeah, you guys earned it." said Viper.

"Aw thank you lot." smiled Goofy.

Po then approached his dad.

"So dad, um, how do I put this?" he mumbled.

Mr. Ping smiled. "Say no more Po. I'll let you live your dream. You can stay here with your new friends, defending the valley, and you can always come and visit."

Po was taken aback by his dad's words, but smiled as the two hugged.

Axel smiled a warm smile. "Glad to see that's all worked out."

Sora strode up to Axel. "Axel, despite everything you've done... thanks for all your help. Helping rescue the Five, fighting alongside us, watching over us, and helping evacuate the villagers." he then smiled warmly at the Nobody. "You really have changed."

Axel smiled. "Thanks kid." he replied. And for a moment, Axel thought he could see Roxas in Sora's place again.

Just then, an awake Shifu, came out from behind Sora. "Indeed You have changed. And given how you practiced the same lessons I thought Po and the travelers, rescued my students, and helped protect the Valley..." he paused impressively before smirking. "Consider yourself a kung fu _master_."

Everyone stared at Shifu in surprise. Crane and Mr. Ping's beaks dropped wide open in shock.

"M-Me? A-A kung fu master?!" asked Axel, still surprised.

Shifu nodded and smiled warmly. "You've earned it, just like Po, Sora, Donald, and Goofy yesterday."

Axel, still shocked, smiled before saluting and bowing. "Thank you... Master."

Everyone else, even Donald and Tigress smiled at Axel. Sora playfully punched Axel in the shoulder.

"Nice job Axel." congratulated Sora.

"Thanks." smiled the redhead.

Then, something else popped into Sora's mind. "Axel, you never really answered my question back at Hollow Bastion."

Axel was confused until he realized what Sora was talking about. He never answered why he kidnapped Kairi because Saïx's sudden appearance made him teleport away. Axel sighed heavilly.

"Look, about Kairi..." he began.

Suddenly, the Dragon Scroll began to glow and floated into the air.

"Uh... what's happening?" Po, Crane, Mantis, Monkey, and MR. Ping asked unison.

"Uh oh." muttered Axel as he summoned a corridor.

"Where are you going Axel?" asked Goofy.

"This world is about to be sealed from the darkness. I gotta go." answered Axel before he turned to Sora and smirked. "May we meet again soon. And then I'll be able to answer your question." he told the teen before pointing to his head. "Got it memorized?"

Sora sighed and nodded as Axel went through the corridor, which disappeared. Sora then summoned Kingdom Key and held it front of himself as a crown emblem appeared underneath his feet. The Dragon Scroll then shot e beam into the air, revealing a keyhole. Sora aimed kIngdom Key towards it, and shot a beam into the keyhole, sealing it.

"Whoa!" gasped Sora.

"That's new." commented Crane.

"Amazing." exclaimed Viper.

"By the scrolls of China." gasped Tigress.

"What was that?" asked Monkey.

"The gateway is open!" said Donald.

"Does that mean you're leaving?" asked Mr. Ping.

Sora nodded. "Afraid so. We need to find our friends."

The world's residents nodded in understanding.

"In that case, take care." said Viper.

"You're always welcome back to the palace." said Shifu.

"And my restaurant!" added Mr. Ping.

"Be sure to stop by." said Mantis.

"Yes. You're one of us now." nodded Tigress.

"Good luck on your journey." said Monkey.

"May you find your friends." said Crane.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy smiled. "Gawrsh, thanks fellers." thanked Goofy.

Po strode up to the three. "Thanks for standing by my side. Like these guys, you three are awesome!"

Sora chuckled. "Thanks, Dragon Warrior."

"And we promise to keep the idea of the other worlds a secret." promised Tigress. The others nodded in agreement.

"Thank you." thanked Donald.

The group of 10 shared a group hug before Sora, Donald, and Goofy left through the broken doorway and disappeared in three beams of light.

"Cool guys." murmured Po. He then turned to his dad, master, and friends. "Wanna get something to eat?"

After a moment of silence, everyone replied, in unison, "Yeah."

* * *

In the Lanes in Between, Sora sailed the Gummi Ship to Twilight Town while Donald and Goofy sat behind him.

"Can you believe it guys? First honorary members of the Restoration Committee, then soldiers, then pirates, then True Heroes, now kung fu masters!" exclaimed Sora.

"Don't forget about Po and Axel." reminded Goofy with a smile.

"Yeah! Wait till Riku, Kairi, and the king hear about it!" chuckled Donald.

Just then, the communications screen buzzed. Sora answered the call as Cid's face appeared.

" _Ah, if it isn't the Traveling Trio."_ he chuckled. _"The Valley of Piece safe?"_ he asked.

"Yep." nodded Sora. "We're on our way to Twilight Town now."

" _That's good to hear."_ said Cid. _"Have fun! Hope you find your friends!"_

With that, Cid buzzed out.

"Alright then, Twilight Town awaits! Riku, Kairi, King Mickey, don't worry..." said Sora as he looked at Mickey's Star Shard. "...we'll find you."

Goofy turned to Donald. "Say, how do you think Shifu got His Majesty's Star Shard?" he asked.

Donald only shrugged.

But deciding that finding their friends was more important, they three continued to fly towards Twilight Town.

* * *

 _Castle Oblivion..._

As for Axel, the Nobody teleported back to Castle Oblivion, in the same place he, Marluxia, and Larxene spied on Sora and his friends.

"Man, what an adventure." he chuckled. "And a kung fu master. Me. Axel. Who knew?" he chuckled. Hen looked at the crystal ball. "Wonder what other plan's Xemnas has now." he thought out loud.

Then, and image of Xemnas talking to Xigbar and Luxord appeared. Axel listened closely.

* * *

 _At The World That Never Was..._

At the Castle That Never Was, Xemnas was having a small meeting with Xigbar and Luxord in the Grey Area.

"So the snow leopard Tai Lung failed?" he asked, not sounding happy.

"Yeah. The guy got sent to the Spirit Realm." nodded Xigbar.

"And it would seem as though like Sora, Donald, Goofy, and that panda, Axel is now a kung fu master." scoffed Luxord.

Xemnas scowled. "Despite the fact we lost our prisoners, we need to figure out a way for Sora to return to this castle to continue to help fill my precious Kingdom Hearts."

"But how?" asked Luxord.

"I have the answer." said a voice.

The three Nobodies turned to see Saïx approach them.

"After those ten escaped, I thought of a way to get Sora back here."

"And what was the way?" asked Xigbar, quirking an eyebrow.

Just then, several large Nobodies appeared, holding Kairi and Pluto hostage. The two were too terrified to make a noise.

Xemnas smiled. "Good work Number 7." he praised. "Lock them in the dungeon." he told the nobodies.

The creatures of darkness nodded as they took Kairi and Pluto away.

"Kairi is they key to bringing Sora back to this castle." said Xemnas. "Xigbar! Saïx! Luxord! Be ready should the keybearer return to rescue his friend."

The three Nobodies nodded as they walked out of the Grey Area.

Xemnas looked out the window. "Soon, Sora will meet his fate. And my plan will be fulfilled." he said to himself, smirking darkly.

* * *

Back at Castle Oblivion, Axel gasped as he saw what happened.

"Kairi..." he exclaimed. "Isa, what have you done?" Axel walked towards the doorway. "This is my fault." he sighed. Axel then had a determined look on his face. "I must tell Sora, and help him get back to the castle."

And with that, Axel teleported away.

* * *

Soon, Axel arrived in Betwixt and Between. He saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy battling a bunch of Dusk Nobodies.

"It's no use!" he heard Sora shout.

Axel knew what he had to do. He quickly summoned his chakrams and called out, "Don't stop moving, or the Darkness will overtake you!"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy noticed him as he destroyed two Nobodies.

"Now get goin'!" he shouted.

"Why?" asked Sora.

"Don't ask, just do it!" came the reply.

Suddenly, Axel was pinned by a bunch of Nobodies, which Sora quickly destroyed.

"You ok?" he asked.

"I kidnapped Kairi, but she got away from me after someone rescued her and brought her safe to Radient Garden. After that, Saïx caught her. Got it memorized? Now go save her!" Axel explained quickly.

Suddenly, a Dusk lunged for Sora, only for the boy to strike it away with his keyblade.

"Leave us alone!" he shouted as Axel got back up.

Soon, the began to battle the Dusks.

And if you've played Kingdom Hearts II before, you know what happens next.

 _The end_

* * *

 _(Kingdom Hearts II credits play [the part after the clip showing Port Royal])_

(CAST)

 _Sora_  
Haley Joel Osment

 _Riku_  
David Gallagher

 _Luxord_  
Robin Atkin Downes

 _Demyx_  
Ryan O'Donohue

 _Axel_  
Quinton Flynn

 _Saïx_  
Kirk Thornton

 _Zexion_  
Vincent Corazza

 _Vexen_  
Derek Stephen Prince

 _Xigbar_  
James Patrick Stuart

 _Xemnas_  
Paul St. Peter

 _Cid_  
Chris Edgerly

 _Po_  
Jack Black

 _Master Shifu_  
Dustin Hoffman

 _Tigress_  
Angelina Jolie

 _Viper_  
Lucy Liu

 _Crane_  
David Cross

 _Mantis_  
Seth Rogen

 _Monkey_  
Jackie Chan

 _Master Oogway_  
Randall Duk Kim

 _Mr. Ping_  
James Hong

 _Tai Lung_  
Ian McShane

 _Zeng_  
Dan Fogler

 _Commander Vachir_  
Gerald C. Rivers

With the Disney Character Voice Talents of:

Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck

Bill Farmer as Goofy

Bret Iwan as Mickey Mouse

* * *

 _ **Thank you all so much for reading! I'll see you all in the next story soon!**_

* * *

In Loving Memory of

W. Morgan Sheppard  
 _(Atlantis: Milo's Return)_

August 24, 1932 - January 6, 2019


End file.
